Just You
by Selena Snow
Summary: She was amazing, and he was, well...a bit of a mess in the romance department. While it seems like an unlikely match to some (aka Lance), the scientist and the MFE commander find themselves on a journey neither of them could have ever seen coming, and one they definitely would never wish to replace. Post-War Pidge x James Griffin.
1. Chapter 1

She was the most incredible girl he had ever met. And that was why he had never spoken to her.

To be fair, James Griffin didn't have much experience in this area. He'd always been too focused on his studies, too focused learning to fly, too focused on a mission…in general, he was always way too focused on everything else except romance.

And sure, he'd had a couple crushes before. Leifsdottir never let him forget that he'd asked her to the seventh grade winter dance (and barely gotten the sentence out, too).

But none of them compared to her.

First of all, she was tiny. Literally the smallest person he'd ever met, and of course he found it adorable, how could he not? Not to mention that she was obviously very pretty, but that didn't really matter when compared to her intelligence. He could never keep up with all the facts and figures she'd rattle off during meetings, but that didn't stop him from finding it impressive. But then, best of all, he'd see the fire in her eyes. She was passionate, unstoppable, born and ready to complete whatever challenge was in front of her.

In short, James Griffin was completely besotted by her. Oh yeah, and he'd still never spoken to her. That is, until today.

He was leaving the MFE hangar and looking over his mission report. It needed a few more details before he'd be happy with it, but overall he thought it summarized their recent patrol rather succinctly.

And of course it was because he was so focused on something (again, for the millionth time in his life) that he ran into her.

Well, not entirely, he didn't knock her over, but he did definitely have to put his hand on her arm to keep her steady, and that was enough to make his entire face erupt in a bright red hue.

"I'm so sorry!" he apologized, removing his hand as quickly as he could.

She just laughed and brushed the invisible dust off her sleeve. "It's alright, I wasn't paying attention, either." She lifted an orange tablet as proof, and he laughed maybe just a bit too much.

"Y-Yeah, I was kinda zoned out," he managed to get out. Crap, what did he say next? He had no idea! Maybe he should leave? Try to think of something funny? But he wasn't funny, Rizavi told him that all the time when he'd try to do his (apparently really bad) puns!

"You know, we never really got formally introduced," she said, and it brought James out of his head and back into the present. She held out one of her petite hands. "I'm Katie, but my friends call me Pidge."

He shook her hand out of politeness, and again, he maybe overdid it by holding on just a little too long. "I-I know! We, uh, you— your dad talked about you a lot," he said lamely, then chuckled. "And you were kinda legendary, you know, sneaking in and disguising yourself as a boy."

The young woman in front of him flushed. "Yeah, I kinda figured everyone knew about that by now."

James suddenly felt like he'd offended her. "Don't worry about it! That's not all we talked about, I mean, your dad always said that you were really smart and how you were, uh, sweet and stuff, and yeah…" Gosh, he wished he'd shut up. James scratched the back of his head. "So…it kinda feels like I've already met you, in a way."

Pidge was smiling at him now. "Must be weird, huh? You guys heard so much about us, and then you meet us, and we're just a bunch of teenagers running around hoping we know what we're doing."

"I mean, we were kinda the same way," he admitted. "Most of our technological advances were trial and error— ask Kinkade about the time I nearly electrocuted myself trying to recharge our power cores, and I'm sure he'll be glad to tell you."

She laughed at his little joke, a sound that made his heart start beating quicker than he was sure was safe. Pidge glanced down at her tablet again, then looked back at him. "Well, I'm sure you've got plenty to do, but it was nice meeting you! Maybe we can run into each other again sometime— you know, without the actual running into each other part."

James laughed bashfully. "I have to agree."

She seemed satisfied with his answer, and with that, she began to walk off.

James stared after her in a daze. His brain was screaming at him to say something, _do_ something, but what? What could he possibly say or do without coming off as a creepy stalker who'd been thinking about the color of her eyes late at night before he'd drift off to sleep?

…man, he was in over his head.

Before he knew it, James was shaking his head, reaching out a hand, and calling, "Wait!"

Pidge paused and turned to look at him with curious eyes. His mind went blank.

"I-I just, um," he stammered. She raised an eyebrow, and he groaned, slapping a hand to his face. "Look, this might sound weird, but…I've admired you from afar for a while, and um…I just…didn't know if you'd…I don't know, want to do something?" he squeaked. "Maybe? Sometime soon? The two of us?"

Her face was carefully blank, and it stayed that way for what felt like ages. But then she smiled a little. "Well, I'm free right now, if you want."

James' eyes widened. "Oh! Well, I, ah— I just got back from patrol, and I kinda need a shower because I'm all gross, and—" Pidge's eyes sparkled in amusement. "Not disgusting, though! No! I just— ugh, I can't speak today," he muttered.

She laughed, and he gave her an embarrassed smile.

James cleared his throat and tried again. "Maybe in thirty minutes?" he suggested. "I could meet you at the north entrance?"

Pidge nodded, still smiling. "Sounds good. I'll see you then." A cursory glance passed over him, then she turned away and kept walking, leaving James Griffin standing there completely frozen and not sure of what just happened.

And then it hit him.

'Crap, crAP, CRAP WHAT DID I JUST DO?!' he screamed in his head as he dashed for his quarters. He flung open the door and began looking around his room in a panic. Wait, what was he doing there— he needed to go to the shower!

James ran into his bathroom, tossing off pieces of his armor and nearly slipping on the tile floors as he did so. He made quick work of taking a shower and ruffling his hair dry with a towel.

Picking out what to wear was the worst part, because what were they even going to do? He had no ideas, and all the ones he'd fantasized about were so ridiculous that they weren't even possible (example: visiting a planet he'd heard she liked called Olkarion, which yeah right, like that was ever gonna happen). Plus, he hadn't even told her, so who knew what she would wear and what if he dressed up too much and she didn't, or even worse what if she dressed up a lot and he looked like a slob and—

James shut his eyes and forced his brain to stop talking. Breathe. Relax. It's going to be fine. Just wear something normal.

He settled on dark jeans and a plaid flannel shirt, which he had to admit felt weird because he was rarely out of uniform these days. But it was approaching autumn, so it was seasonally appropriate, right? Gosh he was overthinking things again.

James checked his watch, his anxiety skyrocketing when he realized that he needed to leave _now_ or else he'd be late. One final check of his hair in a mirror later, he was exiting his room and trying his best not to walk too fast.

When he turned the final corner to the north entrance, James could see that she was already there waiting for him. He double-checked his watch just in case, but no, it seemed that he was on time.

Pidge must have seen it, because she was grinning at him when he finally reached her. "I have a habit of being early wherever I go," she told him with a shrug. "Either that, or I'm ridiculously late, and there's no in between."

He chuckled, feeling a little dazed by how easily she'd read his thoughts. "It's okay," he assured her. Then he noticed that she'd gotten changed (obviously, like she would keep on her uniform for a date— oh crap, it's a _date_ ) and he blinked. "You, uh, you look very nice."

She glanced down at her outfit— a soft looking cream sweater and dark green skirt— shyly. "Thanks. You look rather handsome, yourself." She fiddled with the fabric of her skirt self consciously. "I didn't really know what to wear because I didn't know what we're doing. Which, by the way, what _are_ we doing?"

His mind flew into a panic. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten that part!

James knew he probably looked like an idiot, standing there with his mouth hanging open. But then something came to mind, and he quickly said, "Oh! Sorry, I-I, um, I thought we could walk around the outdoor markets? Sometimes I go there when I have time off."

'And sometimes I imagine you walking with me,' he added on mentally. It sounded like a dream to him, but maybe it was corny? It was literally just walking around looking at different stands, after all. He should've thought of something better for a first date.

But then to his utter joy, Pidge smiled brightly. "That sounds perfect! I haven't had a chance to go in a long time."

He held in a relieved sigh. James stepped up to open the door for her, gesturing for her to go ahead with his hand. "After you, miss."

She laughed at his little display as she walked past him. He moved to join her, and the two set off in the direction of the markets.

James wished that he could stay calm, but his mind was whirring endlessly. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes— she was staring around at the environment with a contented gaze. He couldn't help but smile. She always seemed to be in wonder of everything she encountered, almost like she was calculating every detail of it in her brain.

James turned back to focus on the path ahead of them, and was just starting to feel at ease, when his mind threw a new idea at him— he should offer her his arm. After all, wasn't that what people did in the movies? That's what he thought they did, anyways.

He looked at her again, feeling nervous. Maybe it was a bit old fashioned, true, but…maybe it would be okay?

After a few moments (during which he gave himself a mental pep-talk), James cleared his throat. Pidge turned her eyes to him, and he held out his arm for her. She laughed, and then, she linked her arm loosely through his.

James felt his heart leap with joy, especially when he saw the silly grin on Pidge's face. He put his hands in his pockets in an attempt to look casual, but on the inside, he felt like he was about to freak out in the best way possible.

They continued walking until they got to the market, and he lightly pulled her toward his usual route through the stands. The two began their journey wandering around in contented silence, but then he realized that they'd been quiet almost this entire time.

'Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, now what? I should say something, right? Before it's been silent for too long? Oh crap, what if it already has been? It definitely has been! SAY SOMETHING!'

"So how was your day?" he asked, immediately wanting to slap himself afterward. Seriously? That was the best he could come up with?

Pidge hummed and looked up toward the sky in thought. "Well, I woke up late and got to training late, which Keith wasn't really happy with. But then I told him that I'd been up all night in the lab, and he dropped it. After that, I had to work on some new integrated tech with Hunk and my dad, and that took until lunch time. Then I was bonding some with my lion, which I don't think we ever explained to you guys how that works, but it's super cool, and—"

James listened as she rambled on and on about astral planes and physics and things he could never understand, idly noting how her eyes lit up every time she mentioned one of her fellow paladins. They truly must be closer than any of them could ever realize. He almost felt a hint of jealousy at the thought.

"—and then I got done with some routine system checks, and that's when I bumped into you!" she finished. Suddenly, Pidge blushed a little. "I'm glad I did," she admitted. "It's nice to be with someone other than the people I was stuck on a space ship with for who knows how long."

James chuckled, any jealousy that started to creep in melting away in a second. "I know the feeling— sometimes my team can drive each other up a wall. It's good to have space," he said, then grinned. "Pun intended."

"Oh my gosh," Pidge snorted. She used the hand that wasn't draped next to his forearm to slap her forehead. "You have good looks _and_ puns? This date is gonna be the death of me."

The young man felt his face burning. He scratched the back of his head, not entirely sure what to say after such a statement. "So…you mentioned being stuck in space. Do you, uh, know how long you guys were there?"

Pidge shrugged. "Honestly, we have no idea. From the time we left Earth in Blue to the time we fought Lotor, I think it was…two years?" she guessed. "And then the time jump made us disappear for three years, and then it took several months to get back without the castle ship."

James frowned sympathetically. "And I'm sure it wasn't easy to keep track of the days, either."

"Yeah, Altean time works different from ours, so their days were a bit longer and things got screwed up," Pidge sighed. "I tried to keep up with it, but eventually we were so busy that I couldn't worry about it. Honestly, I don't even know how old I am, at this point."

"Huh," James hummed. "I hadn't even thought of that. W-Well, I mean, I had kinda, because it'd be weird if I was a lot older than you— not _weird_ weird, but like—"

He stopped rambling when he heard Pidge giggling. "It's fine, I know what you mean," she reassured him. "We all sat down and kinda agreed on a timeline a month after we got back. We decided it'd been about three years in our time— well, and two extra years for Keith while he was in the quantum abyss— so I'm eighteen."

James blinked, trying his best to wrap his head around all of that. "Well, um, I'm twenty-two if that's…okay? With you?"

Pidge smiled up at him and pulled herself ever so slightly closer to him. "It's completely fine with me," she said, before she added on, "So long as you're fine calling me Katie. It's been ages since I've heard my real name, and my team still can't call me anything other than Pidge, and that used to be a thing just between my brother and me."

"Katie it is, then," he grinned. Gosh, it was cute when she rambled. He hoped she did that more often. She gave him a winning smile, and James felt like he was on cloud nine.

They continued in a contented silence for a little while longer, occasionally commenting on the items at the stalls as they passed. Within a couple minutes, however, James noticed that Pidge— no, _Katie_ was staring at something with renewed interest.

"Wanna go over there?" he asked.

Her eyes widened upon his recognition of her staring, and she nodded excitedly. James allowed himself to be dragged over to the stall. He couldn't help but chuckle at her enthusiasm— and it was quite infectious, after all.

"Hello, Tynor!" Katie greeted the alien at the stall.

The alien turned and blinked at them with large green, blue, and red eyes. "Oh, my Green Paladin!" she greeted, inclining her head. "It is so good to see you, my Paladin. It feels as though it's been deca-phoebs."

Katie laughed. "It does! James—" his heart skipped a beat upon hearing his name come from her lips, "—this is Tynor. She's from Olkarion, my favorite of the Coalition Planets."

Tynor waved a hand. "You speak too kindly of my home world, my Paladin." Pidge gave a knowing grin, and Tynor responded by gesturing to her wares laid out on a table before them. "What can I offer you today? I have recently designed new jewels upon comparing them to Earth designs— they are more accessible than our old fashioned head interfaces."

The alien's slim green fingers moved to refer to what looked like a wooden crown with a bright blue gem on her head. James' eyes took it in, then flickered down when he saw how Katie was inspecting the items in front of her. They looked like miniature versions of the crown, though they came in a variety of bracelets, rings, and necklaces. Each one had a glowing gem embedded inside them, but one in particular seemed to be glowing brighter than the rest.

James took one hand out of his pocket and reached for it. "Seems to me that this one stands out for a reason," he commented.

Tynor nodded. "Your companion is very observant, my Paladin. He is right— the gem is bright because it has chosen you. The quintessence has the same makeup as your own."

Katie blinked in awe before she turned to look at James expectantly. He blushed, quickly untangling their arms so that he could face her properly. He slid the bracelet onto her wrist and stood back.

The gem pulsed twice, then settled down. James watched as Katie closed her eyes— wait, did the bracelet just tighten on its own? He shook his head. When Katie re-opened her eyes, she was grinning brightly.

"It feels wonderful," she told Tynor. "Can I have something to test it out?"

Tynor inclined her head, bent down to grab something, then came back up with a stick. Katie took it gratefully and was about to close her eyes again when she must have noticed the puzzled look on James' face. Katie laughed.

"Confused?" she asked.

He gave her a wry grin. "Just a bit."

Excitement in her eyes, Katie took a step closer to him. "The gem acts as an interface to my mind," she explained patiently. "The Olkari are master engineers, and when the Galra took over, they had to flee to the forests. They learned how to manipulate nature in order to survive, and their leader taught me when we liberated their planet."

James blinked. "Wow."

Katie giggled. "Yup. Now watch—" Her eyes fell shut, and the gem flickered. The stick suddenly had lines of blue running through it, and before his very eyes, she willed it into a rounded shape.

She opened her eyes again and smiled when she saw the look of amazement on James' face. And then, ever so gently, she took his hand and slipped the stick around his wrist. "See?" she said, holding up her own wrist to show him her bracelet. "Now we match!"

That was the moment where James understood the phrase "butterflies in your stomach."

He grinned, never feeling so happy before in his life. Katie smiled back at him before she turned to face Tynor. "How much for it?"

"Fifty of your Earth dollars," Tynor replied. "Though I would be happy to reduce the price for you, my Paladin."

Katie moved to reach for a pocket, but seemed to realize something. "Quiznak! I left my money back in my room!" she groaned. Her eyes cast down to the bracelet, disappointment clear as day in them.

James felt his mouth moving before his brain realized what he was doing, "I'll pay for you."

The young woman spun around and stared at him with wide eyes. "James, no! It's too much, I don't want you to spend that much on me. It's only our first date!"

He already had his wallet out. "And considering I didn't take you out for anything that actually cost something, I'm more than happy to pay for this," he insisted. James handed over the money, trying his best to keep a straight face while Katie covered her blushing face with her hands.

"Thank you, my Paladin's companion," Tynor said, then smiled mischeviously. "You are more than welcome to keep the piece your Paladin made for you."

Upon the words "your Paladin," James felt his face heat up. "Thank you, Tynor," he replied. He shifted his attention back to Katie, who still looked embarrassed. James smiled softly and held out his arm. "Ready to go?"

She looked up at him, her honey eyes glittering in the setting sun, and he felt himself go weak at the knees. Katie silently put her arm through his and let him guide her away.

It felt like forever until she spoke again, but when she did, she brought her other hand to wrap around his forearm. James nearly jumped at the action, and he stared down at her with wide eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered shyly. "That was really sweet of you."

A soft smile settled on his lips. "You're welcome, Katie. I…" he glanced at the ground. "I was serious when I said I've admired you for a while, so…if _you're_ happy, then I'm happy."

Her eyes fell down to the rough stick bracelet on his wrist, and she let her hand drift to rest on it. His heart skipped a beat when she looked back up at him. She cracked a grin. "I'm really glad you nearly ran me over in the hall," she giggled.

James groaned out loud. "Please don't tell everyone that's how we actually met. It's so embarrassing."

Katie snickered. "I thought it was funny," she teased. "And like I said, I'm glad it happened because it led to this."

His heart warmed. "I'm glad, too," he murmured. "I would've never gotten up the courage to talk to you, to be honest."

"I'm just _me_ ," Katie insisted, shaking her head.

Surprising even himself, James shifted his arm so that he could lace his fingers through hers. "Trust me, you're much more than _just_ you."

She blinked up at him, biting her lip in intrigue. A moment later, she leaned her head over to snuggle into his shoulder. "So, James, when can we do this again?"

James' heart wanted to burst with joy. "Whenever you want, Katie, and I won't almost run you over next time before I ask."

She laughed and squeezed his hand. "Good."

* * *

 **Me? Writing something other than Plance? How dare I! Don't worry, I haven't abandoned my main ship, but some head-cannons on Instagram made me think of this! Hope you guys enjoyed!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm back and so excited to continue this fic! It's gonna be a good one, I just know it. Enjoy!**

* * *

Katie "Pidge" Holt wasn't sure what she was feeling— all she knew was that she loved it.

It had been unexpected, that was for sure. She could have never predicted any of it. Then again, she hadn't had enough data on James Griffin to make even the vaguest hypothesis that any of this would happen.

But she was so glad it did.

It had been a couple days since their date, and Katie couldn't stop thinking about it. She often caught herself stroking the bracelet he'd gotten her, you know, the one that she hadn't taken off since because every time she looked at it she felt all tingly and silly.

She hadn't seen James around much since then, which she understood. They both lived and worked at a military base, after all. Free time was a luxury, and one that they'd been very lucky to have for their first date.

Still, they would occasionally pass in the halls, and that always made her heart skip a beat. It seemed that they had a silent agreement to keep their little whatever-it-was a secret for the time being, and that made their passings all the more exhilarating.

It was all just so new to her! The sudden blushes, the knowing winks, the bashful smiles James would send her when they saw each other. It made her heart do things she hadn't thought possible (and it _did_ help that James was rather handsome). Each tiny interaction they had replayed in her memory over and over on an endless loop, like right now.

They were at a meeting with both their teams and the Garrison high command. Katie knew that she should be paying attention, but it was proving to be a challenge. She kept accidentally catching James' eyes, and each time, he would try to keep a straight face, only to inevitably crack a tiny smile.

And of course, she wanted to smile back because she kept feeling all fluttery and floaty. She glanced over again, and this time, it seemed he'd been waiting for her. She tilted her head almost imperceptibly, as if to ask "what?", and he replied by flickering his eyes down at where his hand rested on the board room table. Katie's eyebrows scrunched together, but then she focused on his wrist. Wait…it seemed like there was something bulky under his uniform.

She looked up to James for an explanation, but he was back to staring at Iverson at the front of the room. Katie was about to turn back as well— then James nonchalantly shifted his hand to let his sleeve slide down a bit. A rough wooden bracelet peeked out from behind the fabric.

Katie covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to hold in a giggle. James met her gaze with twinkling eyes. Her hand fell back to her lap, and she bit down on her lip. If the smile on his lips was anything to go by, he noticed.

How was any of this possible? They'd only had one date, and she already felt completely ridiculous. Katie wished she could shake her head to get all thoughts of James out so she could focus, but she knew her friends would see. She'd just have to hope those brown eyes wouldn't distract her again.

Thankfully, the meeting ended within a couple minutes. Katie let out a sigh as she got up from her chair and stretched. Long winded meetings were definitely not her thing.

Hunk mirrored her actions next to her, turning and grinning, "Ready to get to work on that nanothermite tech?"

"Might as well," Katie yawned. "I think my brain shut off during that last part, though."

"Not getting enough sleep, Katie?" came her father's voice from behind.

Katie twirled around and gave a nervous laugh. "I might have stayed up late last night working on Rover Two," she admitted. "But I'll manage— let's get down to the labs!"

Her father and Hunk gave a nod, and the trio started off toward the laboratories. The two men walked ahead of her, an endless swap of theories and ideas passing between them. Katie walked in silence, her head still caught up on the fact that James was still wearing the bracelet she'd made him.

And perhaps that's why she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard his voice.

"Miss Holt?"

Katie spun around faster than she knew was possible. Her eyes were wide as James stepped up to her, then she started panicking. Her father was right there! And Hunk! Weren't they keeping this to themselves? Oh no, he was going to give it all away—

But then she noticed that James's face was entirely serious. His eyes were unreadable, and his expression was carefully blank.

"Miss Holt, I was instructed to pass this on to you," he said. He produced a sealed white folder and held it out to her stiffly.

Katie blinked. "Thanks," she replied slowly. She reached out and took the folder, noting the bright red letters that said "TOP SECRET: FOR KATIE HOLT ONLY" on the front.

She scrunched her nose in confusion, then looked up to James for an answer. He only nodded and turned to walk away. She could've sworn she saw the corners of his lips start to twitch up as he did.

The folder haunted her all day long. She was itching to open it, but she knew she'd have to wait. Finally, after several hours in the lab with Hunk and her dad, dinner with all the Paladins, and then yet another meeting, Katie rushed back to her room and and slammed the door shut.

She leaned back against the door, staring down at the words again. She'd had time to analyze them all day, and by now she had deduced that they weren't typed, but instead hand written. It was the neatest penmanship she'd ever seen, and something in her told her it could only be James. Her heart racing, Katie tore open the seal and stared down at the package's contents.

It was a single piece of paper.

Eyebrows furrowed, she reached in and took the paper out. She unfolded it, and it only took a cursory scan before she had to sink down to the floor because her knees went weak.

 _Dear Katie,_

 _Hope I didn't scare you too much with my little trick, but it's been so difficult to find you lately. Meet me tomorrow at the east entrance— 5:30pm._

 _Sincerely,_  
 _James_

 _P.S. Wear something warm, I heard it could be cold! Or maybe I'm just a little s-mitten with you._

Katie's head fell back against the door, and she let out a sigh. What was this man doing to her, going around and pulling stunts like that? And giving out yet another terrible pun?! Quiznak, she was so screwed.

She read it over again, giggling and burying her blushing face in her hands. Was it really so bad if her definition of "screwed" was having a crush on James?

Yet another reading of the love note told her no, it really wasn't.

* * *

Katie Holt was in a daze all the next day. She walked around with a dopey grin, humming and not even realizing it, and even occasionally checking if her hair looked okay.

She still couldn't quite believe it all. This had never happened to her before, and she had no idea where it was going, but it was just so exciting! And who knew what they were doing tonight! Was he being serious about dressing warmly? Did that mean they'd be outside again?

The mischievous thought of not wearing gloves just so he would hold her hand again entered her mind, and she started giggling profusely.

"Pidge! Focus!"

Without even looking, Katie fired her bayard over her shoulder. The crackling of electricity told her she'd hit her target dead on.

She raised an eyebrow at Keith. "You were saying?"

The black paladin shook his head. "You've been out of it all morning, Pidge. You need to pay attention."

"I hit it just fine!" she protested.

"Just before it hit you," Keith rebutted, crossing his arms.

At this point, all the Paladins had turned to listen to the conversation.

"Is she being spacey again?" Hunk asked.

Lance tilted his head. "Again?"

"Yeah, she was totally out of it all day yesterday," Hunk claimed.

Katie ducked her head in embarrassment. She'd have to be more careful around them. "I've just had a lot on my mind lately, guys," she replied vaguely.

Shiro frowned. "Something you need to talk about?"

Her face felt like it was on fire. "N-No! It's just, you know, I've been working on Rover Two _and_ the nanothermite stuff _and_ a new intergalactic tracking system, so there's been a lot going on."

Allura gave a smile. "We know. It seems we've all been running around like yelmors these past few sols," she said. "I just hope you are taking care of yourself, Pidge."

Suddenly it clicked, and Katie rolled her eyes. "You guys worry too much. I'm not fifteen anymore! I'm eighteen!"

"Oh yeah, such a difference," Hunk snickered.

"Like you're much older," Katie said, sticking her tongue out.

Shiro rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Alright, alright, settle down, Paladins." He came forward and put his hand on Katie's shoulder, offering a gentle look. "We know you can take care of yourself, Pidge. But don't hesitate to tell us if you're busy or feel like you can't handle anything, okay?"

"Yeah, we'll totally help!" Lance pitched in, then frowned. "Well, as long as it isn't something science-y. You're on your own."

A shared laugh went around the room, and Katie smiled up at her group of friends. "So, ready for round three?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Her fellow Paladins grinned at the challenge, and Keith pushed a button on the wall. "You're on!"

An hour later, Katie was skipping through her door and checking the time. "4:30pm" the clock read. That gave her just one hour to shower, get her hair dry, try to make herself presentable, and figure out what on earth she was going to wear.

Katie cued up her favorite music and got to work, all the while letting random daydreams play out in her head. Would he hold her hand again? Where was he taking her? What if he did something really sweet, and she got all flustered again? She eyed her Olkari bracelet on the counter as she ran a brush through her hair. Warmth filled her heart again, and she couldn't hold down a giggle.

Katie made sure she was extra early this time, if only because she felt so jittery and the wait was killing her. But alas, it seemed that James had the same idea, because he was already waiting for her by the east entrance. Her face broke into a grin, and it grew even more when he finally noticed her.

His eyes scanned her as she approached, and she found herself buzzing under his gentle gaze. Katie reached into her bag (which she'd actually remembered this time) and pulled out a pair of gloves for him to see.

"I didn't have any mittens," she joked, coming to a stop in front of him.

James laughed, "Those will do," he said. "And we won't need them until later."

"Good," Katie replied, and with a nervous jolt of energy running through her stomach, she threaded her fingers through his. He smiled brightly, and she took a moment to revel in the fact that her fingers seemed to fit so perfectly in the spaces between his. "Ready to go?"

He squeezed her hand. "More than ready. And this time, I'm actually prepared!"

Katie snickered, allowing herself to be led out the door. "Oh really? I'm impressed."

James gave her an amused glance. "Like my little trick?"

"Honestly? You nearly gave me a heart attack," she shook her head. He turned to direct her toward the parking lot. "I don't know how you kept a straight face."

"It was pretty difficult," he admitted. "Especially with your dad right there— I nearly cracked."

Laughing, she nudged her shoulder with his. "Trust me, I noticed."

She realized that he had taken her over to a car, and he came around to the passenger side. He let go of her hand to open the door.

"After you, milady," he gestured.

Another one of those fluttery feelings went through her, and she slid into the car. He shut the door behind her, then went around to his side. She watched in contented silence as he got in and started the car up.

James made to put the car in reverse, but he paused. His eyes met hers, and her heart skipped a beat at the shy look in them. "You look great, by the way. I've been trying to find a way to say that for five minutes now, but my brain wouldn't give me the words."

Katie's face warmed, and she glanced down at her grey sweater dress and leggings as though she'd forgotten what she was wearing. Her eyes then flickered over to him, suddenly feeling just as flustered as he'd sounded. He had on a navy cable knit sweater and grey pants, both of which somehow made him even more (dare she say it?) attractive than usual.

"Y-You look nice, too," she managed to get out.

His eyes softened, and for some strange reason, she felt like gazing into them for ages, trying to pick out the exact number of shades of brown in them. But then, he snapped out of it, turning a little pink as he switched his focus back to driving.

"I, ah, thank you," he swallowed. "Figured I needed to do better than last time."

Katie fought down a giggle. "Last time was fine, James, really."

He backed out of the space, then gave her a grin. "Well, still, I want this to be better. Does dinner out sound good to you?"

Her eyes brightened. "That sounds great! I haven't eaten outside of the Garrison in forever," she said, then stopped to think. "Well, actually, I haven't left the Garrison premises in months at all, other than our date. I really need to get out more."

James chuckled. "Duly noted."

They rode mostly in silence, with Katie staring out the window at the terrain as they passed by. They arrived at Plaht City a little while later, and James parked in front of a building she didn't recognize. Katie stared up at it in awe, only realizing she hadn't moved when James opened the car door for her and offered his hand.

She took it readily, though she didn't take her eyes off the building. "What is this place?"

"They call it The Centre," James replied as he lead her toward the front door. "After the Galra were run off, this was one of the first places that started reconstruction. It was an old warehouse, but they decided it'd be the best place to start since the structural integrity was still intact."

It was at that moment, they entered, and above her hung a massive iron chandelier filled with lights. All around her was an eclectic shopping center, with people walking to and fro with bags in their hands.

"Wow," Katie breathed.

James squeezed her hand, and she finally looked at him. He was grinning ear to ear. "Restaurant's this way," he said, pulling her over to a staircase. They began the ascent, climbing several floors before he stopped in front of a pair of wooden doors. James opened one for her, all the while never letting go of her hand.

Katie felt like melting the second they walked in. The lights were dim, and candles and flowers were at each table. There was soft jazz playing, quiet conversation ebbing and flowing throughout the room.

James leaned down close, his breath brushing her ear. "You like it?"

Katie could only nod. "Uh huh."

His thumb swept over the back of her hand. "Good. I was so indecisive and had no idea whether it'd be okay with you or not."

Breaking out of her trance, Katie met James' eyes. "I'll trust your judgement— you seem to have good taste."

A silly grin came onto his lips, and he nudged her. "I'd like to think so," he said, giving her a meaningful look.

Katie couldn't hold in her laughter, covering her mouth and trying her best to not be too loud as he brought her over to the host.

"Reservation for Griffin, James," he supplied.

The host looked over the list and nodded. "Right this way, sir." They followed after the host to their table, both of them looking around the restaurant as they did so. They were led at a table right next to a window, light from the setting sun still peaking through.

James pulled Katie's chair out for her, and she found that she instantly missed the warmth from his hand. He settled down across from her, and the host gave them their menus before he walked away.

Katie opened the menu, her eyes widening at just how many things were on it. "It's so big!" she whispered, flicking through the pages.

"I know," James laughed quietly. "I didn't know what you liked, so I thought it'd be good to have a variety."

Katie met his eyes, a little shiver running through her when she noticed that the candle light was illuminating golden flecks in its glow. "You thought of everything, didn't you?"

He gave a nervous grin. "I might be trying really hard to impress you, if that's what you're asking."

She giggled. "James, if I wasn't at least somewhat interested in you, then I wouldn't be here," she stated factually, then smiled. "And since I can tell you that I'm more than just _somewhat_ interested, you don't need to worry so much."

Her words seemed to fluster him, but James just shook his head. "I can't not worry, it's how I am. Leifsdottir has tried to diagnose me more than once, trust me."

Noticing that his hand was resting on the table across from hers (and honestly just wanting to hold his hand again), Katie reached forward and set her hand on his. "Well, you got it right. I love it, James," she assured him.

His hand turned to grasp hers gently. "I'm glad," he murmured, then his eyes brightened. "This isn't everything, though! There's more after dinner."

Katie couldn't help but crack up laughing. "You really are trying hard, aren't you?"

James grinned. "Maybe."

The pair returned their attention to the menus in front of them, their hands staying together all the while.

That night, Katie Holt had never wanted a dinner to never end more in her entire life. James kept telling her awful puns, stumbling over his words, and occasionally, after a flirtation or two, they'd get lost in each other's eyes. By the time they left, Katie felt giddier than she could ever remember. The two wandered out of the restaurant giggling, one hand tightly intertwined with his, and the other holding onto his arm.

"So mister," she asked as they approached his car, "What's next on tonight's agenda?"

James opened the car door for her with a cheeky grin. "Why can't it be a surprise?"

Katie gave a loud sigh. "I mean, if you insist."

He smiled, some of his former bashfulness having melted away over the course of the night. "You'll like it, I'm positive."

His confidence flipped a switch in her, and Katie suddenly wondered why she felt warm all over. The drive was similar to the one on the way there— with two exceptions. Jazz music played through the speakers, and their joined hands rested in her lap.

They arrived back at the Garrison, and Katie realized that at that point, he could tell her they were going to polish his MFE fighter and she'd be more than willing to do it. There was something about him that she couldn't put a finger on. His honesty? His unexpected (and unwitting) charm? Or maybe it was just how earnest he was, constantly asking if she was happy and doing everything he could to make sure she stayed that way.

Either way, she knew she'd never forget this night when he started leading her on a path that was all too familiar to her.

"I'm pretty sure this place is off limits, but they never check," he said as they climbed the last stair. The rooftop of the Garrison was bathed in moonlight, and Katie instantly felt a rush of memories come flooding back to her. James led her forward to the edge, where they sat down.

A cold breeze passed by, and Katie shivered. "Now I know why you said to bring mittens," she commented, grabbing her gloves and putting them on.

"Or maybe I just wanted to get in a pun," he teased.

Katie gave him a knowing look. " _Or_ maybe you wanted an excuse for us to sit close together."

He tsked, "Darn, you've seen through my master plan."

Laughing, Katie scooted over to lean into him, happy to find that he was incredibly warm. His arm wrapped around her, and she gladly returned the favor. The pair stared out at the view, content. The stars twinkled down at them, clear and bright in the dessert landscape.

James let out a little sigh. "I used to come up here all the time when I was a cadet," he told her. "It was the one place I could get away from everything."

"So did I," Katie hummed. "I'd come up here and listen to the aliens chattering away, wondering if one day I'd ever hear my dad or my brother."

His hold on her tightened. "Weird how we never ran into each other back then. Maybe it just wasn't the right timing."

Katie laughed, briefly imagining an alternate reality where she'd met James before accidentally leaving Earth in a blue lion. "No, definitely not."

She felt him shift beneath her, and she looked up to see that there was worry in his eyes. "And is, um…now? Is now the right timing?" he asked.

"I think so," she replied, snuggling into his chest more.

He let out a relieved sigh. "Good. I-I…can you tell I really like you?"

Her heart skipped a beat, and Katie pulled back from his embrace to stare into what she had classified to be the most beautiful brown eyes she had ever seen. A million thoughts of what she should say ran through her mind, and finally, she settled on the truth.

"I can tell," she whispered, her face steadily growing hot. "Can you tell that I'm starting to really like you?"

One of James' hands began to stroke down her back. "I was kinda hoping," he laughed. "I just wasn't sure, and I…I don't want you to think I'm putting on a show or something, with the dinner and the stargazing, and it's all kind of corny," he rambled, and Katie giggled. The sound made him break out of his anxious thoughts and smile. "I just…I want to get this right."

"You are," she promised, then felt a streak of bravery run through her. "I know because I couldn't stop staring at you all night. Navy is a good color on you."

James let out a loud sigh. "Oh thank goodness, I thought I was the only one. No—! Wait, I—!"

But it was too late. Katie had already burst out laughing, falling back against him and clutching onto his sweater as she shook with mirth.

James groaned and slapped a hand to his face. "I _meant_ to say that I couldn't keep my eyes off you, either." Katie calmed down her laughter when she saw the gentle look on his face. "That dress is beautiful on you."

Though a blush was spreading on her face once more, she shot him a mischievous grin. "Hey, James?"

"Yes, Katie?"

"You need to stop being perfect," she teased. "It might make me fall for you."

His eyes lit up, but he kept his face comedically neutral, humming, "Well, we can't have that, can we?"

Giggling, Katie adjusted so she could snuggle into him again. "No, no we can't."


	3. Chapter 3

**BACK AT IT AGAIN WITH THE RARE-PAIR THAT HAS STOLEN MY HEART! ENJOY!**

* * *

 _Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap._

James Griffin liked to think that he was calm, cool, and collected. Key term: _liked_ to think. Right now he knew he most certainly was not.

All he could think about was Katie. Katie, Katie, Katie. And how much he missed her, obviously. He missed her eyes, how she'd lean her head against his shoulder, the way her hand felt so small and delicate and just _perfect_ in his.

And it had only been five days since their last date.

He'd had the chance to see her a couple times— she'd told him that he was free to drop by her lab anytime he wanted to, and that was an offer he'd gladly taken her up on. But their visits had been far too short, often taken up by quick catch-ups on what they'd been up to lately before one of them would inevitably get a call that they had to go.

To put it lightly, James Griffin felt like he was going to go insane if he didn't get to see her again soon. Thankfully, he had an opening.

He'd checked over the weekly schedule that morning like he did every day, and by some miracle, there was a block of time where both he and Katie were free. Even better, all of the people who would usually (and unintentionally) interfere would be on their shifts.

And that window of opportunity started in just five minutes.

 _Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap._

His foot wouldn't stop moving. James knew he should be more disciplined, should be more restrained, should be more focused, but he didn't care. He was going to see Katie soon, and that's all his brain could think about.

He craved her like a drowning man craved air, and he knew he'd started acting up soon if he didn't satisfy his need for her.

Part of him felt horribly insecure about the whole thing. He worried that he'd already fallen for her too much, already given over more of his heart than he was willing to admit, already been far too forward with how he felt.

But then he'd see her smile at him across the room or while passing in the hall, and the other part of him wanted to plunge even deeper into the mess he was scared he was creating.

James' eyes flickered to the clock on the wall. Just one more minute.

It passed by in a blur of final assignments, then Iverson dismissed them.

 _Finally._

He tried to get up slowly, knowing that if he showed anything other than his usual calm exterior for a second, everyone would know something was up. He purposefully took his time in walking toward the door, careful to not draw attention.

The door was in sight. A few more steps—

"Griff!"

It took all of James' willpower to not make a face. He turned his head to glance over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

Rizavi jogged up to him, Leifsdottir and Kinkade in tow. "Noticed you had a free hour in the schedule— wanna go train? Leifs and I wanted to try out the new sim-flights!"

Somehow, James managed to hold his ground. "Sorry, I can't. I have other things I need to attend to."

Leifsdottir's head tilted. "Other things? Like what?"

Kinkade crossed his arms. "Sounds suspicious."

James tried to cover up his internal panic with an eye roll. "Believe it or not, I do have a life outside being an MFE. You guys should try it sometime," he joked. His teammates laughed, and James grinned. "Let me know how they go, okay? Maybe we can set up another tournament like last time."

A confident glint in her eyes, Rizavi punched him in the shoulder. "You're on!"

He laughed and shook his head, turning back to continue toward the door. He made his way over and reached for the handle. James took one final look back. It seemed everyone was distracted enough…he turned the handle and walked through.

Then the second he was out the door, he ran.

'Whew, I need to be more careful around them,' he groaned. He should've known that his teammates would start to have their suspicions, he just didn't think it'd be so soon.

The trip to Katie's lab took just short of three minutes, and by the time he arrived, all thoughts of the meeting had fled from his mind. An uncontainable grin on his face, James slid his keycard and stood back for the doors to slide open.

The moment they did, he melted a little.

Katie was sitting at her station entirely engrossed in her work, her tongue sticking out as she scribbled something down on a notepad. She wore a pair of baggy sweatpants and a t-shirt that said "aliens are real" on the front.

Yeah, he knew he was doomed to fall even harder for her.

It took him a few seconds to realize he'd been staring, then another few to figure out a proper greeting. James folded his hands behind his back and put on a cheesy grin. "Well, don't you look _out of this world_?"

Katie's head snapped up, her smiling mouth open to retort, but then she looked puzzled. "And you look…orange."

James looked down at his gaudy-colored uniform and winced. "Sorry, didn't wanna waste time getting changed."

"Oh?" she said, her head tilting. "Not just stopping by?"

Finally getting his wits about him, James shook his head and made his way over to her station. "I have an hour free, so I thought I'd check in on you."

Katie perked up, immediately patting the chair next to her for him to sit down. He happily complied, resting his chin in his hand as he took in all of the notes she'd been writing when he entered. He couldn't make sense of them at all, not that he'd thought he could anyway.

"What're you working on?" he inquired.

"Nanothermite tech," she replied. Katie took the notebook and began to flip to a different page. She held it up for him, a sketch of armor laid out in detail. "We're trying to integrate it with the Paladin armor, but it's Altean-made, so the whole thing is proving to be more of a challenge than we thought."

James nodded, his eyes scanning over the design. "What will it do?"

Katie grinned. She got up from her station, ran over to a cabinet to pull out a box, then brought it back to him. She set it down and opened it up. Inside sat a translucent-looking mold of a hand.

"Give me your hand," she instructed. He did, instantly feeling a little rush of joy when her skin touched his. He watched in a stupor as she slipped the mold onto his hand, then held it in her own.

Her sparkling honey eyes looked up at him expectantly. "Ready?"

"Mhm," he managed to intone.

Katie giggled, then straightened up. "Armor on!" she commanded.

There was a flash of light, then the mold began to change. It started at his finger tips, spreading further up until his entire hand was covered in a smooth grey metal.

"Wow," he breathed. James flexed his hand, amazed to find that it felt entirely fluid. He wasn't restricted in any way, unlike some of the bulky armor he'd worn in the past.

When he finally snapped out of his reverie, he found Katie giggling at him. A sense of pride surged through him. "W-Wha— Why isn't this standard issue yet?" he sputtered. "It's amazing, Katie!"

She flushed lightly at his praise. "We can only get certain parts to work, not all of it," she shrugged. "They don't want to interconnect."

"Which leaves weak spots," he assessed.

Katie nodded. "Correct," she said, sending him a meaningful look. "And I wouldn't wanna send you out on the battlefield knowing you wouldn't be safe."

For some reason, James found himself blushing at the fact that she used _him_ as an example.

He watched as she pushed a button that had formed on his wrist. The armor unfurled, and Katie slipped the mold off his hand.

"How long do you think until you can figure it out?" James asked.

"Who knows," she sighed, placing the mold back in the box. She got up and put it away, then gave him a wry grin. "We've been working on it for ages, and it's starting to hurt my brain."

James frowned. "Maybe you should take a break, then? Find a different project to work on? I don't mind sitting here and watching."

There was a twinkle in Katie's eyes as she came back to stand in front of him. "Actually, I was just about to head to Green's hangar if you'd wanna come with me?"

And that was the moment when fear like none other gripped him.

His heart pounding in his ears, he stuttered, "A-Ah, sure! Yeah, w-why not! Sounds great!"

There seemed to be a knowing look on Katie's face as she took his hand and dragged him out the door. Maybe it was just a feeling he had, but he was pretty sure she knew what was going through his mind.

James remembered when he saw the lions for the first time. He'd been impressed, if not a little confused. They were amazing overall, and had he been given the chance, he would have gladly gone aboard to explore.

But then he'd overheard someone saying that they were sentient, and ever since that day, they'd freaked him out.

He'd always made sure to avoid the lions, and rest assured that such a feat wasn't easy. His team's hangar was right next to the lions', and it seemed that almost every single day Rizavi would dare one of the MFE's to go sneak a peek.

James had always been clever enough to make up reasons as for why they shouldn't, but now…now he was simply too terrified (and all too willing to do whatever it took to spend time with Katie) that he was at a total loss for words.

He didn't realize they'd made it to the hangar until Katie's thumb rubbed the back of his hand. He snapped out of his thoughts, blinking down at her.

Katie smiled up at him. "We're here. You okay?"

"As okay as I'll ever be," he replied honestly.

Her smile grew, and with that, she pushed the door open.

The first thing he was struck with was the sheer size of the lion. He'd forgotten how big they were, and now that she was leading him toward it, he felt like an ant facing down a boot.

James walked forward in awe, his mouth dropped open, and he realized after a moment that Katie was laughing at him.

"Come on, you can come closer," she teased, tugging on his hand.

He swallowed and followed her lead. She stopped them just short of being under the lion's mouth, and at that point, James' heart was racing. He looked over to see if Katie could tell he was freaking out, only to find that she was starting to crack a grin.

"I know you're not asleep, girl!" Katie laughed. "You can't fool me— that's an old trick!"

James' eyebrows furrowed. Katie simply motioned for him to look up. He did, and that's when he noticed that the eyes of the lion— formerly a lifeless grey— were lit a bright golden color. And wait…was that a twinkle? If he didn't know any better, he'd say the lion looked…amused?

Suddenly, there was the sound of mechanical gears clicking into place, and the lion was moving to bend down. The lion stared at him, its head moving side to side as though it was inspecting him.

The MFE commander stood stock still, too terrified to move. Another moment passed before the lion seemed to deem the inspection complete. There was a sound akin to a growl, then the lion set its head down, opening its jaw. A ramp with glowing steps unfolded.

James gaped at it with wide eyes.

A hand gently squeezed his own. "Come on," Katie whispered. "She's letting you in."

"S-She?" he asked.

"Mhm, Green's a she," Katie replied patiently, though there was a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. He was starting to wonder if the rumors about the quintessence of the pilots being the same as their lions was true.

Katie pulled him along, watching James' every movement. He looked around the inside of the lion in awe, wondering how something like this could have been built so long ago. They reached the cockpit, and all he could do was stare. She brought him around to the front and stood back, taking in his expression.

"It's amazing," he breathed. "It's just…wow."

She giggled. "I know."

Dazedly, he reached out and brushed his fingers along a panel—

Then staggered back when he felt something try to enter his mind.

"Green, no! We talked about this!" Katie shouted.

James blinked. Wait, had he fallen? What happened? He shook his head to regain his focus. "Talked about what?"

Katie groaned, helping him up slowly. "She can tell that I've been different lately, and she got me to confess that it's you. She wants to access your mind so she can approve."

James gulped. "W-Wait, do what?"

The paladin rolled her eyes. "Do nothing, because it's not going to happen!" she exclaimed, glaring at the control panel. "It's an invasion of privacy, Green. His mind is his own."

A growl (annoyed, by the tone of it…wait, how did he know that?) went through the cockpit.

"What's she saying?" James asked nervously.

Katie sighed, rubbing her forehead. "She says she'll throw you out if you don't let her…" James's fear must have shown, because she quickly added on, "Not that she actually would, she's just kidding…I think."

Though he was still rattled, James took a moment to think about it. He knew how the lions and their paladins worked, or at least, he'd heard about it. Their relationship was strong, practically unbreakable except through death. And if her lion really wanted to get in his head…

He took in a steadying breath before he took Katie's hands in his own. "Um…I mean…does it hurt?" he wondered.

Katie's honey eyes softened. "It just feels kind of fuzzy and stuff, but…James, if you don't want to, you don't need to."

James gave a little shrug, trying his best to be casual. "But it would be nice for a massive mechanical alien cat to like me, wouldn't it? Especially since it's your massive mechanical alien cat."

Katie laughed and shook her head. A rumble went through the cabin. She listened, then nodded. "Okay, Green wants you to sit down in the pilot's chair."

A surge of anxiety ran through him, but he steeled his nerves. He sat down, and Katie placed herself in front of him, holding his hands firmly.

"Now close your eyes," Katie murmured. "I'll be right here with you, okay?"

He took in one last shuddering breath…and then he let his eyelids fall shut.

 _The strange feeling from earlier returned. It was fuzzy, just like Katie said…and it was electric, ebbing and flowing as it slowly but surely filled his entire mind. It began to reach further, deeper, now spreading down his spine to his heart._

 _His shoulders tensed, and immediately, there was an amused sound._

 ** _"What's got you so frightened, my Paladin's one?"_**

 _James jumped and turned around— only to immediately gasp._

 _He was in a wide field filled with light and greenery. A gentle breeze passed by him, and an overwhelming sense of laughter and curiosity came to mind. James smiled, his shoulders beginning to relax…but then a shadow fell across the field._

 _He looked up, and there she was— Green, towering over him in a shadowy vision of green and white. The lion's question returned to him, and he felt his heart skip a beat at the wording._

 _"I-I, uh…my name is J-James, actually," he stammered._

 _ **"My Paladin's James, then,"** Green corrected herself easily. **"Now, what are your intentions with my Paladin?"**_

 _'Well that's a big question,' he thought, then immediately realized that she must have heard it when the sound of laughter wound through the tall grass._

 _James swallowed. Honesty it was, then. "I…well, to make her happy, however I can."_

 _Green purred approvingly. **"And do you believe you are the one to do so?"**_

 _A jolt of worry ran through his body. Maybe…maybe she had a point. Who was he to think that he could be the one to make her happy? Katie could easily choose someone who knew her better, who knew all of this better— he'd never be able to understand this world like one of the Paladins could._

 _Bowing his head meekly, James whispered, "I hope I can be. I…I know it'd be a great honor to do so."_

 _All at once, he felt surrounded by a vast wind. She was inspecting him, he could tell— how, he'll never know, it just came to mind as naturally as any other thought._

 _After a few moments, the wind passed, and Green hummed. **"You will do, my Paladin's James."**_

 _His head snapped up, and he saw a twinkle in her golden eyes. **"Tread carefully, though. I will only seek to harm you if you harm my Paladin first."**_

 _James didn't have time to reply. There was a rush of light, and then—_

His eyes were blinking open. He groaned, taking his time to adjust to the light.

One of the first things he registered was Katie. She was still there, her thumbs stroking the back of his hands soothingly. "How do you feel?" she hummed.

"More scared than I think I ever will be when I finally talk to your dad about this," he admitted groggily.

Katie giggled. "Hopefully Green didn't scare you off?"

He shook his head, adjusting so he could sit up straighter. Apparently being in the astral plane (weird how he knew that term now) made him slouch. "No, not at all. She did threaten me, though."

Her reaction was instantaneous— Katie glared up at the ceiling, calling, "Seriously?!"

James chuckled. He squeezed her hands to get her attention, and she looked back down at him, her expression still annoyed. "She just said that if I hurt you, she'd hurt me," he clarified.

Katie's look softened. "Oh…well then, I don't think we have anything to worry about."

Suddenly, James felt like he couldn't find the words to express how he felt in that moment, wanting to assure her that she was right, but also just so overjoyed that she had such trust in him, yet still feeling that he wasn't wholly worthy of it because he was, just, well, him! Even with Green's approval, he still wondered if he fell short of what Katie deserved or needed.

But then Katie was saying, "I've been working on something, by the way."

James blinked, coming out of his swirling thoughts. She glanced down, and he followed her gaze. It took a moment before he saw it, but when he finally did, his heart skipped a beat. The bracelet she'd made him was different.

"Is it…a new one?" he inquired.

She shook her head. "Same one, just changed the design. I think it's more fitting now."

He rotated his wrist, taking it all in: the little wooden J on top, the intricate braided weave, the tiny starbursts formed out of roots. His mouth hung open, but no words would come out.

Katie smiled, leaning forward and turning the bracelet. "Look— I even signed it!"

And sure enough, her name was there, written on the back in twigs. For the millionth time that day, James was again at a loss for words.

He looked up at her with an indescribable emotion in his eyes, and she simply shrugged. "You deserved something better than my first attempt."

James stared into her eyes, his face growing hot, before he finally stammered, "I-I…you're beautiful, and amazing, and I wish I could figure out how to say how I feel, but my brain won't work right now."

Katie burst out laughing. She stood up from her crouching position and helped him up from the pilot's chair. "I think Green scrambled your brain a bit," she teased.

Grinning, he shook his head. "Pretty sure it's just you." The pair started to make their way out of the lion, laughing softly. He took her hand in his and squeezed before he let out a wistful sigh. "I wish I could function around you for once, but I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon."

She looked up at him, a silly smile on her face. "I think it's cute, James."

"Thank goodness for that," he chuckled. They exited the ramp and came to a stop, and before he knew what he was doing, he pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Green had a funny name for me, by the way. She called me 'her Paladin's James'."

Katie blushed brightly and looked up at Green. The lion gave a rumble of confirmation. Katie ducked her head. "Only two dates, and she already thinks we're set for life or something," he caught her mumbling.

James smiled at her flustered expression, but then, some of his former anxious thoughts came back with a vengeance. "I-It, uh…it does bring up the question, though, doesn't it?" Her head lifted to give him a curious look, and he swallowed nervously. "Of, uh, what we are."

A little grin slipped onto her lips. "Humans," she replied, and he couldn't help but laugh at her joke.

The laughter died down quickly, though, and was replaced with his former worried frown. He stared down at the ground, his fear beginning to consume him all over again. Maybe he really was falling too hard for her, maybe he should try to protect his heart more, maybe—

"James."

He blinked up at Katie, eyes wide. She took his free hand in her own, smiling softly. "We're happy," she said simply. "And we're getting to know each other, and it doesn't need a label right now. We're just…us."

A sigh of relief went through him, and he squeezed her hands. "Okay, good."

Her honey eyes twinkled. "Now, if all of the sudden you tell me you're going on dates with other girls, well—"

He sputtered, "What! No! That's not— I'd never—!"

Katie just laughed and began to drag him toward the door. "You're adorable, James."

A random streak of confidence ran through him, and before he could stop himself, James used her hand to twirl her back around into his arms. She let out a noise of surprise— but then she wrapped her arms snuggly around his waist. A flutter went through his chest.

He held her close, burying his nose in the top of her head. "And you're gonna drive me crazy," he replied, his breath ruffling her hair. He held her for a moment longer (though he had no desire to let her go), then leaned back. He chuckled when he saw that she had flushed bright red.

His eyes glanced at the clock on the wall— crap, his next shift started in two minutes. He looked back down into wide honey eyes, wishing that for once he could put aside his sense of duty if only to have a couple more minutes with her.

Feeling bold again, he dared to reach out and tuck another strand of hair behind her ear. "My hour's up," he sighed. "I have to go."

Katie blinked. "Y-Yeah, okay."

James grinned cheekily. "That's a nice shade of pink on you, Katie."

She ducked her head, hiding her face in his uniform. "Shut up, James."

"Yes, ma'am," he teased. He gave himself just one more second to take in her scent— _vanilla and honeysuckle_. Gosh, he wanted to stay in that moment forever. But then, with regret in his eyes, he forced himself to let her go.

"I'll see you later," he whispered.

She nodded quickly. "Okay."

James swore he heard Green chuckling as he left, along with Katie hissing "Oh stop it, you!"

* * *

 **You'll notice there's a theme in my fanfictions of the lions talking to their Paladins, because if there was one thing I could add to Voltron, it'd be that. Also, I have a headcannon that each lion's astral plane looks different, which is why he was in a field as opposed to the starry astral plane that Black has.**

 **Leave a review please! And know that if you have any ideas, I'll gladly take them!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Prepare yourselves.**

* * *

The first time they suspected something was up was on the way back from joint training.

Pidge and Griffin were walking at the front of the group, looking over the stats they'd gathered during the session. It made sense— he was the leader of the MFE's, and she was the Green Paladin. She was the best choice to explain his squadron's data from the system.

Besides, it wasn't uncommon to see the MFE's and the Paladins mingling these days. While the two teams had had their differences when they first met, they'd grown to have a bond of amicable competitiveness between them. And even at that, most of them would consider the others to be friends.

Hunk, Lance, and Rizavi could usually be found in the kitchens at night, grabbing snacks and talking about the latest gossip. Shiro, Kinkade, and Keith formed a habitual workout regimen that they completed in the early hours of each morning. Leifsdottir had introduced yoga to Allura, and the princess had fallen so in love with it that the two had a special hour set aside for it each day, and oftentimes Romelle would join them.

So no, it wasn't strange at all to see Pidge and Griffin talking.

What was strange, however, was when they brushed shoulders.

The reaction among the teams was instantaneous.

Rizavi and Hunk shared a glance, followed quickly by Hunk slapping a hand over Lance's open mouth. Shiro and Keith raised an eyebrow, then looked to Kinkade, who just shrugged. Allura blinked for several seconds before she turned to Leifsdottir, though she was busy peering at the space (or lack thereof) between the Green Paladin and the MFE leader.

Because here's the thing: both teams knew that their teammate was not one for physical contact.

Neither of them were cold, but they also weren't the hug-y type, either. To classify either of them as being used to such a casual touch would be inconceivable. Touch was used as needed, sparingly, but also to convey a great deal of emotion when necessary.

And that was when the two teams began to have their suspicions.

* * *

Tip toe left. Duck down. Slide over. Look right. Look left. Coast clear.

Rizavi snickered. She'd been wanting to do this for _months_ , and it seemed that now was the perfect time. All the Paladins had just gotten in from patrol, meaning that they most likely would be off somewhere showering or eating.

And that meant she could sneak in to take a peek.

It's not like there was some rule against it, right? She was just naturally curious— there were five giant alien cats on base, and she'd seen them up close only a handful of times! So what if she wanted to look at them again?

Steeling herself, Rizavi took her final steps toward the door. She honestly didn't care which cat was behind it, so long as she had more than a few minutes to investigate.

She reached for the handle, pulling it open as slowly as possible. When it was cracked far enough, she put one eye up to it.

And her mouth promptly fell open.

"So you're telling me you have to do this every month?" Griffin was saying.

"Well, we don't _have_ to, but Green likes it," Pidge replied with a shrug.

Rizavi blinked, then rubbed her eyes beneath her glasses. No, surely that wasn't her leader standing beside the giant cat, his pants rolled up to his knees and a sponge in his hand. And surely that wasn't Commander Holt's daughter handing him a bucket of soapy water, their hands brushing casually as she did so.

No, surely not.

"Sounds to me like Green's spoiled," Griff laughed as he dipped his sponge into the water.

The smallest of the Paladins gasped, then reached down and flicked her hand to splash Griffin in the face. "Hey! It's our bonding time, okay?"

Rizavi's went wide when she heard the rare sound of James chuckling. "Alright, alright, I get it— mystical bond and all that."

The spunky MFE took off running without another thought.

* * *

"You saw what? No way!"

Rizavi put her hands on her hips. "I'm being serious! They were washing her lion together! Like— _friends_ , or something, I don't know!"

The group in front of her looked suspicious, and she groaned. Rizavi had called this meeting into order because she thought they'd all want to know, but now it seemed that no one was going to believe her in the first place!

"Look, I saw what I saw, okay?" she huffed defensively.

Hunk's eyes filled with concern. "What should we do?"

"First of all, tell him to stay away from our Pidge," Lance grumbled. "He shouldn't be alone with her like that!"

All the MFE's straightened in their chairs immediately.

"You seem to be the last one to make judgements on interactions between male and female, Lance," Leifsdottir noted.

The Blue Paladin sputtered. "I-I— hold up, how did this become about me?"

Kinkade cleared his throat. "Griffin's a good guy, he wouldn't try to pull anything." His tone left no room for arguing.

Shiro shook his head. "We're not saying he's not, but this is our teammate we're talking about."

"And this is _our_ teammate that _we're_ talking about," Rizavi insisted, crossing her arms. "Look, the only reason I came here is because I know we all saw what we saw last week."

Everyone in the room shared a knowing look.

After a moment had passed, Keith stood up from the table. "I'll keep an eye on things," he decided firmly. "And if any of you see anything, you report back to me. Got it?"

"Got it!"

* * *

This was the moment. If anything was going to happen, it'd be now.

The Paladins had just finished in the training room, and Keith knew that the MFE's were heading in next. It would be the first scheduled interaction that the MFE commander and Pidge would have ever since the secret meeting two days ago, and Keith was determined to see for himself whether something was up or not.

To make one thing clear: Keith didn't believe Rizavi's crazy claim.

Sure, it may seem to others that Pidge often preferred to be by herself, but the idea of her making a new friend in the MFE commander didn't seem too far fetched to Keith. Besides, it was good for the teams to get along.

So no, he didn't believe that there was anything other than a friendly camaraderie between the two. The others were simply spinning tales about a forbidden budding romance.

And thus, Keith observed.

He leaned back against the far wall, watching as Pidge wiped the sweat from her forehead and took a sip of water. She laughed at something Hunk said, then jabbed an elbow into Lance's side. Allura joined in on the joke, and Shiro shook his head at the young adults.

Keith nodded approvingly. Typical behavior.

The door to the room slid open, and Keith's eyes honed in on the MFE leader. Griffin's face was neutral, as it usually was. His eyes swept the room, passing over the Paladins without a second glance. Finally, he made eye contact with Keith, and the two men acknowledged each other with their standard courteous nod.

Just as Keith thought. Typical. Behavior.

His theory confirmed, Keith turned around to pick his bayard up from where he'd set it on the ground. He stood up and dissolved it into his belt, turning back with an open mouth to tell his team it was time to go—

And that's when he saw it.

The MFE commander's calm facade had cracked.

He was staring at something in a trance, a little smile on his face. Keith followed his gaze, his heart stopping when he realized that it was on Pidge, who was— blushing?

Keith's violet eyes widened.

He snapped his head back to Griffin, only to find that the leader had turned his back and walked over to the console to set up a simulation.

Wondering if he'd just imagined the whole thing, Keith turned his eyes to Kinkade. It seemed the stoic man had been waiting for him. He met startled violet eyes with steady grey ones.

A feeling of understanding passed between the two, and Kinkade gave an almost imperceptible nod. He'd be keeping an eye on things as well.

Keith looked at Pidge one last time. She was back to her typical behavior, this time chiding Shiro about how he should let her take another look at his arm sometime.

The Black Paladin's eyebrows furrowed. What had just happened?

* * *

His mother always told him he was a romantic at heart. He never found any reason to correct her, because it was true.

Kinkade kept his expression carefully blank as he stared at the pair two tables away from him. He'd been observing them at every meal time for the past few days, and they were following what he had decided was their standard mode of operation.

"No, James, it's the other one!" the Green Paladin was laughing. She tapped a button on her tablet and held it up closer. "See?"

Griffin leaned in closer, and Kinkade's eyes narrowed. Standard mode of operation was in action.

It was entirely obvious to Kinkade. The lack of distance between them, the cheesy smiles, and frequent blushes.

It could mean only one thing.

"They're official," he shrugged.

"What?!"

"Nuhuh!"

"What do you mean?"

Lance stood up from the table and crossed his arms. "I don't buy it. Pidge wouldn't keep that kind of stuff from us! We're like family!"

Leifsdottir raised an eyebrow. "This is the girl who kept the fact that she wasn't a boy a secret from your team for months. I wouldn't put keeping secrets past her."

"You do make a fair point," Allura hummed, tapping her cheek inquisitively. "For all we know, they could've been together for a whole phoebe now."

Hunk and Lance's heads whipped around to give each other a worried look.

A moment of silence passed before Lance shook his head. "Fine!" he exclaimed, slamming a hand down on the table. "We're investigating this ourselves!"

And investigate they did.

* * *

"We were both there!" Lance screamed.

"What reason would we have to lie?" Hunk pouted.

Keith rubbed his forehead. "You mean to tell me that you saw them walk into the building, both of them dressed up, and you thought the best course of action was to call this emergency meeting?"

Rizavi gave a dubious look. "Yeah, you didn't think to follow them?"

Lance and Hunk traded a nervous glance. "Uh…no?" Lance squeaked.

"Heh heh," Hunk laughed awkwardly. "It might have slipped our minds."

The group of Paladins and MFE's let out a loud groan.

Shiro's eyes took in the disgruntled group in front of him before he got up from his chair and headed toward the door. "We're getting to the bottom of this," he muttered.

* * *

The former leader of Voltron weighed his options. Part of him was partial to the idea of simply asking Pidge what was going on, but he knew how evasive she could be. She often lied about little things like whether or not she'd gotten enough sleep the night before. And even though he always knew it (her tale-tell sign was looking down to the right), he could never get the truth out of her before she'd change the subject or walk away entirely.

So no, he had to wait for an opportunity. And it seemed that opportunity was now.

He was walking back to his quarters late one night, and had purposefully taken the route that passed by the labs to check up on Pidge. It was a pretty standard routine, given her habit of staying up too late working on various projects. Usually each team member took a shift, and his was tonight.

Shiro walked up to the door and slid his keycard. The doors opened up to reveal a sleepy looking Pidge, not that he was surprised by this in the slightest.

"Pidge?" he called softly.

She blinked at him blearily, turning slowly in her chair. "Hm?"

Shiro chuckled, "Pidge, you know you need to—"

And then he froze.

A couple seconds passed. Pidge tilted her head at him. "Shiro?"

He snapped out of it. "S-Sorry, I…lost my train of thought," he said, clearing his throat. "Is that, uh, is that a new sweater?"

The youngest Paladin looked down at the item of clothing in question. "What? Oh, yeah, you could say that."

"It's, ah…it's a little big on you," he commented. Pidge gave him a look of indignation, and Shiro hastily added on, "Not that it's bad! It's fine!"

"Yeah, yeah," Pidge said, rolling her eyes. She reached over and shut her laptop, then gave him a wry grin. "I know you're just here to make sure I go to bed."

He smiled back, though his shoulders were now tense. "Well, someone has to."

Pidge nodded (a little begrudgingly) before she hopped off her chair. "Well, goodnight, Shiro," she yawned as she walked past him.

A whiff of musk suddenly hit his nose, and Shiro had to force himself to remain unfazed. "See you tomorrow, Pidge."

The Paladin gave another smile before she turned to walk toward her room. The moment she was far enough away, Shiro fell back against the wall, eyes wide.

She'd smelled distinctly like cologne.

Shiro blinked rapidly, his mind racing. Of course! It all made sense! She was wearing—

"Oh my gosh," he whispered aloud.

 _Pidge was wearing Officer Griffin's sweater._

"Shiro, are you alright?"

His grey eyes lifted to meet the jeweled ones of the princess.

She wasn't looking, though— instead, her eyes were up, staring at the air as she sniffed. "Something awfully strong must have come by," she stated factually.

Shiro's eyes widened. "You smelled that, too?"

"It's hard not to with heightened Altean senses," Allura nodded. Her face showed her confusion. "What does it mean? I saw Pidge leave before you just now."

The former Paladin shook his head. "I'm not sure yet, but I think it has to do with the situation."

An amused smile came onto Allura's face. "Human romance is much different from what it was on Altea," she chuckled. "There, it was common to be open with your affections. The ambiguity of this situation is quite puzzling to me."

"Yeah…" Shiro trailed off, his mind still spinning. "I guess."

He walked away in a daze, leaving Allura staring after him. The princess sighed, wondering why all of this was so difficult to understand.

Then again…if she wanted knowledge, perhaps it was time she began to seek it for herself.

* * *

Allura spent much of her time the next several days consumed by her efforts. Humans in general had been rather confusing to her ever since the day she'd met them, but this…what was the phrase? Ah yes— this one "took the cake."

All of the MFE pilots and her fellow Paladins had been driving themselves insane over the matter, and Allura simply couldn't figure out why. She herself had plenty of open courtships before the war, and none of them were made to be as big a deal as this. Romance was a simple thing, an accepted part of life. But it seemed to her that the humans had some sort of strange fear of it.

Thus, she tried to dig deeper.

First she went to the library, but that didn't aid her search. All of the things the books talked about, none of them had witnessed— there had been no grasping of hands, no pressing their lips to each other's. It seemed that if these books were the sole authority on human romance, there was hardly any evidence to go on.

That was when she decided it'd be best to simply observe.

At the moment, both of the teams and the high command were gathered for a meeting. Pidge and Officer Griffin were sat next to each other, but that wasn't strange. The members of both teams frequently changed their seating based on the needs of the meeting. Given that the topic involved Pidge's area of expertise and a new MFE mission, their position was entirely practical.

And luckily, Allura was on Pidge's left, giving her the up-close advantage she needed to examine them.

So far, all had seemed normal.

They spoke up when necessary, paid attention, and seemed focused. At one point, Allura thought she saw them staring at each other, but surely it was simply a passing glance.

Then she detected movement.

Allura turned her head carefully as to not attract attention. She narrowed her eyes and looked closer.

One of Pidge's feet was tapping Officer Griffin's.

Allura's eyebrows scrunched up. Well, that was…odd.

Her eyes flickered up. A tiny smile (one she was positive hadn't been there before) now graced Officer Griffin's lips. There was movement again. Allura looked back down. This time, it was his foot that bumped into Pidge's.

The princess blinked, unsure what this gesture was supposed to mean. Perhaps it was a friendly human game? She determined that she would ask Leifsdottir at their yoga hour later that evening.

What she didn't expect was for the MFE analyst's typically neutral expression to break.

* * *

Keith took in a calming breath. "Allura, tell us, in your own words, what _exactly_ you saw."

Allura looked around at the panicked expressions, growing worried. "Well, they seemed to…I don't know, push their feet against each others?" she guessed.

Her audience gasped, and she shook her head. "Who knows, perhaps it was just a mistake, but it didn't seem like one. Is this sort of foot…gesture common in Earth romance?"

"Yes," Leifsdottir replied, her eyes serious. "But only under certain circumstances."

A new wave of theories began to spring up from her colleagues, but the analyst retreated inside her mind. She had known James Griffin far longer than anyone else. She liked to think she had categorized everything there was to know about him in a neat little file in her brain.

But if he was breaking protocol like this…

Ina Leifsdottir shook her head. Something _must_ be happening between him and the Green Paladin.

Quietly, Leifsdottir got up from the table and walked away.

It was time to add more data to the file.

* * *

"They were holding hands."

"WHAT?!"

Leifsdottir held her ground. The group blinked at her, as though they were waiting for her to take back what she said. She didn't.

One by one, each of the Paladins and MFE's slumped back into their chairs. She knew they were trying to process what she'd told them. No one would have believed it unless it came from her. And no one in their right mind would ever call Ina Leifsdottir a liar.

"What do we do?" Rizavi whispered.

Keith and Lance shared a meaningful look, and Lance whipped out his phone. "Time to call in the big guns."

* * *

"You want me to do _what?_ "

Veronica was staring her brother down fiercely, and he glanced around the table for support. No one dared to speak.

Lance turned back and gave her his sweetest smile. "You know, spy! You're good at that!"

His sister held up a hand. "Let me get this straight," Veronica said. "You guys have been watching Pidge and James for over a month now, and you still can't figure out if they're in a relationship or not? Wouldn't it be obvious if they were?"

"You don't know Griff like we do," Rizavi said, shaking her head.

"And Pidge can literally hack into the Garrison and sneak in under a false identity," Keith added. "She could be up to anything, and we'd have no idea."

Veronica's eyes passed over the group. They all look frustrated, that's for sure, but each had an edge of desperation in their eyes. They were clearly concerned.

Sighing, Veronica put a hand to her forehead. "Fine, I'll see what I can do."

* * *

Being a superior officer did have its perks, but right now, she was pretty sure that tracking James down through the vitals monitor in his suit was abusing her power.

Veronica flattened herself against a wall, waiting for the hall to clear. "Why am I doing this?" she grumbled.

Shaking her head, she refocused on the mission. She consulted her monitor again. He was in a room just down the hall— wait, what was he doing in one of the Paladin's quarters?

'Pidge,' she realized. It must be her room. If the others were right, it was the only thing that made sense.

Taking in a deep breath, she rounded the final corner. The hall was completely empty.

She walked forward quietly, dialing her senses in for the slightest noise. It was silent, but that was no surprise. It was almost 2pm— nearly everyone was on duty. She noted how strange it was that Griffin wouldn't be on a shift at this time, as well.

A quick check of the schedule on her monitor told her that he was. Veronica frowned. What would make him abandon his post?

A few steps closer. She fell back against the wall, a mere three feet away from the door. It was cracked open.

Veronica steadied her breathing, then closed her eyes. Focus. Listen.

It took a few seconds before she could make anything out, but when she did, her eyes flashed open.

Someone was crying.

Her heart racing, Veronica dared to inch closer. She tilted her ear toward the door, and slowly but surely, she began to pick up muffled conversation.

"I-I didn't know how to tell you."

"Shh, James, it's okay, it's okay…you're gonna be okay."

There was a loud sniff before he croaked, "They're g-gone, Katie…my parents were killed, and I didn't even get to say g-goodbye."

A rustling of material. "I know, I know…I'm sure they knew you loved them."

"I just…" A broken sob. "I just wanted to _tell_ them. One last time. And it was too late. They were already g-gone."

Veronica felt tears forming in her eyes. She should've known. It was the three year anniversary of the invasion. Griffin's parents had lived in Plaht City, one of the first places decimated in the attack.

She got up the courage to take a peek, and her heart shattered. Pidge was sitting on the edge of her bed, one of her hands stroking up and down James' back as he clung to her as though she was his only lifeline. He wept into her shoulder, and all Pidge did was tighten her hold on him.

"Shhh, I'm here, I'm here," she soothed. A hand came up to thread through his hair. "I'm right here, James." He nodded against her neck.

And then, Pidge's eyes lifted to meet Veronica's.

Veronica could only stare back, wondering how long the Paladin had known she was there. Pidge looked straight at her, her gaze slowly shifting from defiant to pleading.

Though she didn't quite know how, Veronica knew what Pidge was asking. She nodded, cast one more worried glance at James, then backed away and shut the door.

* * *

"So?"

Veronica took in the group in front of her. Their eyes were sparkling with excitement, some of them holding onto each other.

Her eyes fell to the ground somberly. "Yeah…yeah, they're together." Expressions of concern fell over the Paladins and the MFE's at her tone. She waited before she looked up. "I think it's good," she decided. "They need each other."

"What did you see?" Hunk whispered, eyes worried.

A small grin broke out on Veronica's face. "Two people who love each other…and maybe they don't know it yet, but they will soon."

Everyone blinked, each of them turning to look at their counterparts with confused faces.

* * *

"Do you think they know?" Katie wondered aloud.

James shifted to draw her closer, dragging his nose through her hair and inhaling her scent. "Mm, maybe, but I don't mind," he hummed.

A vision of her fellow Paladins chasing down her new boyfriend entered her head, and Katie cringed. "You might wanna rethink that opinion."

The handsome man behind her just sighed happily and held her tighter. "I don't think even _Green_ could keep me away from you."

Katie let her head fall back onto his shoulder, cracking up laughing. "Oh? You wanna test that theory?" she challenged.

"I don't think I'll have to," James grinned. "She seems to like me a lot more after that bath last month."

The Paladin rolled her eyes. "I _knew_ you were sucking up to her."

"I want her to like me!" he replied defensively, then pouted when Katie stuck her tongue out at him. The two dissolved into a fit of laughter, both knowing that it would take a lot more than a simple bath to get James fully on Green's good side.

After their giggles calmed down, the couple fell into a comfortable silence. Katie idly watched the movie in front of them, not really caring about it as much as the fact that she was wrapped in James' warm embrace. As the two had gotten to know each other, she'd found that his lap was one of her favorite places to be. She was small enough to fit comfortably, and he was more than happy to hold her for as long as either of them pleased.

James adjusted his position, burying his face into her shoulder. His nose brushed against her neck, and a burst of tingles ran through her.

Her boyfriend took in a slow breath. "Thank you for being there for me today," he whispered. "It really meant a lot to me. I know you were busy, a-and," his voice cracked, and Katie turned around to see that his eyes shone with unshed tears. "I-I'm…I'm sorry for distracting you."

"Hey," she said, taking his face into her hands. "No more apologizing, James," she admonished gently. "You had every right to be upset today. I just wish you'd told me sooner."

He shrugged, but nothing about it was casual. "It's hard to talk about." James swallowed thickly, "And…I didn't want you to feel bad about it. There was nothing any of us could've done."

"There are a lot of things we could've done," she murmured truthfully. "War is always filled with regret."

James nodded, his beautiful brown eyes downcast. Katie straightened up and put her hand under his chin to force him to look up. "I don't want you to carry this alone," she told him. "I'm here to carry it with you."

A pained look entered his eyes. "You don't have to, Katie."

She simply moved back down to snuggle into him. "No, but I want to. So let me, James," she said, then smirked and looked up at him, "Or else I'll tell Green you're sucking up to her."

James chuckled, squeezing her gently. "Anything but that, please," he pretended to plead. "I'm polishing her claws tomorrow."

Katie rolled her eyes. "Oh my gosh, I'm so telling her!"

The couple shared a laugh before Katie fell back against his chest. She nuzzled her cheek into his sweatshirt, taking her time to enjoy his oh so intoxicating scent of pine and musk. She hummed, wondering if she could find a way to steal another one of his sweaters. He had a habit of offering them whenever he saw the slightest of shivers run through her.

Katie Holt had never thought she could be so happy in her entire life. She knew the news of their relationship would get out soon, especially after they'd been seen by Veronica.

But strangely enough, Katie found that she didn't care if everyone knew. She had James, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

 **I told you to prepare yourselves. Leave a review, please!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Been looking forward to this chapter for a while now to address some important things! Enjoy!**

* * *

November 1st. That was the day they became official.

Ever since that day, James Griffin had been walking on cloud nine. Katie Holt, the Paladin of the Green Lion, the most funny, smart, beautiful girl in the entire world— _she_ was his girlfriend.

It was almost too good to be true, yet every day he'd see her, and her eyes would sparkle up at him, and he'd be struck with the fact that _wow_ , it was real.

At this point, Katie and James operated under the assumption that most people had at least some suspicion that they were together. While they couldn't be classified as the PDA-type of couple, they both knew that they naturally gravitated toward each other whenever the other was around. It simply couldn't be helped.

And sure, there had been a few times when they held hands as they walked down the Garrison halls, but they usually reserved their more personal moments for when it was just them. Those moments where it'd be quiet, all except for the occasional happy sigh as they basked in one another's soothing company.

Sometimes it'd be out on dates, other times it'd be in her lab, Green's hangar, or in one of their rooms when they'd have their weekly movie nights. Finding time still proved to be a challenge, but it only made him treasure it all the more when they could have it.

And during their time together, though it hadn't been much, the list of things he'd first admired about her only grew. He loved her scent— honeysuckle and vanilla, and he still hadn't figured out if it was her shampoo or a perfume or just her. James also discovered that Katie had six distinct laughs, each of which he could categorize instantly. She often mumbled to herself about equations without realizing it as she worked, which he adored. Then there the fact that she was almost always cold, but he wouldn't complain— it had its perks, mainly that it made her incredibly snuggly. She also loved peppermints (especially the puffy kind), her favorite color was purple (though green was a close second since becoming a Paladin), and she listened exclusively to techno pop (no matter how cliche or repetitive it was). Oh, she was also almost entirely covered in teeny tiny freckles.

In short, James Griffin was convinced he was the luckiest man alive. Which is most likely why he had a smile on his face, even now.

He focused in on the target, then pulled the trigger. The flier drone fell to the ground. Another rose behind him, and he whipped around to strike it with a flare bomb. The drone was encompassed in a flash of sparks before it, too, dropped.

James huffed, his shoulders relaxing. Wait, what was that shadow—?

A solid hit to his back threw him down, but his reflexes managed to roll him back upright. He took aim and shot a laser through the humanoid drone's head. It clattered to the floor, deactivated.

 _"Show off!"_

The MFE commander chuckled as the memory of his girlfriend's words echoed through his head. They'd tried their first joint training practice last week, and suffice to say it had been one of the most fun exercises he'd ever run.

They'd worked together perfectly in sync, always managing to catch each other's weak spots and step in to cover right in the nick of time. The thrill of it had been so exciting that he couldn't help but try to add a little bit of flare, which she noticed, of course.

 _"You're gonna get shot one day trying to look cool like that."_

 _"Only if you're around, Katie."_

James smiled and shook his head. "End training sequence!" he called as he got up. The system powered down, and he walked over to upload his stats onto a monitor. Katie always liked it when he brought her new data to toy with.

A warm feeling ran through his body at the thought of her. She was working overtime in her lab tonight, and he'd volunteered to bring her dinner for a night-in date.

James' eyes flickered down to his watch. He needed to get back and get showered, and maybe he'd have enough time to finish his latest mission report before he saw her.

The MFE commander registered the sound of the training room door sliding open, and he turned. "I'm all done, here, so have at it."

Four pairs of eyes stared back at him neutrally.

James took in the group of Paladins, immediately noticing something odd. "Where's Katie?" he asked.

The air in the room shifted.

A fiery look entered each of the male Paladin's eyes, and the Altean princess didn't seem too far behind.

The blue Paladin stepped forward. "Look, buddy—"

"Lance," Captain Shiro said in a warning tone.

James raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem?" At his question, the tension in the room thickened even more.

There was a beat of silence. Then, Keith crossed his arms. "We need to have a talk."

A sinking feeling settled in James' stomach, but he nodded. "Go right ahead."

"We—" the princess started. The Paladins all shared a look, and she continued, clearing her throat. "We are aware of your relationship with Pidge. We have been for some time, now."

"Okay," James responded slowly. "And? If that's all you guys had to say, you wouldn't be acting like this. So what is it?"

Hunk straightened up to his full height. "We are here to make sure you know what our position on your relationship with Pidge is."

"Right," Shiro nodded. "It's nothing personal, but—"

"If you hurt her, we hurt you," Lance declared. "She was our girl first, and she'll be our girl long after you two break up—"

Keith held up a hand. "What Lance is _trying_ to say," he interrupted, glaring at the Paladin in question, "Is that we want her to be treated right."

So that feeling in his gut had been correct.

James set his shoulders back. "I'd never think of treating her otherwise. She's everything to me, and—" his eyes darted to meet Lance's, "I plan on keeping it that way."

Captain Shiro, as well as the princess, seemed to relax. "So we have your word that you'll treat her well?" he asked.

"You have my word," James nodded. The other three continued to look suspicious, and he sighed. He knew why.

"Look…" he swallowed. "I know my history with you guys. I know I…wasn't the nicest guy in the world back then. I made a lot of mistakes, said things I shouldn't have, but…I hope you can see that I'm different now."

Keith, Lance, and Hunk blinked.

Assuming that he was in the clear, James reached down and grabbed his things. The Paladins were still staring at him, and he simply inclined his head. "If you'll excuse me, I promised Katie dinner."

He walked out, only allowing himself to release the breath he'd been holding after the door shut behind him.

As he made his way back to his room, the awful feeling from earlier only grew. James knew who he'd been. He knew he'd been a jerk. He knew he let his ambition drive him to do things he shouldn't have. But he'd changed…couldn't they see that?

A wave of sickness ran through him. Did Katie know? Did she know who he'd been? Had they told her? Warned her to stay away from him?

Anxiety shook his heart like a bolt of lightening, and all of the happiness about their date tonight was suddenly replaced with dread.

What if…what if she'd _asked_ them to do that?

* * *

"You know I can tell when you're upset, right?"

James looked up, and Katie grinned. "You're like an open book," she teased.

He hummed, slipping off his chair to come forward and wrap his arms around her from behind. He nuzzled his nose into her hair, inhaling and exhaling slowly. "Only with you," he murmured.

Katie giggled before she spun around on her seat to give him a knowing look. "Talk to me, James. You've been quiet ever since you walked in. I know something's bothering you," she observed.

Hesitation gripped him, but he fought against it. Better to get it over with now.

"Something…" his eyes darted to the ground, "Something happened earlier."

She nodded understandingly. "Go on."

James sighed. He took her hands in his, playing with her adorable little fingers as he figured out how to word things correctly. Finally, he said, "The other Paladins confronted me in the training room. They wanted my word that I'd treat you right."

Katie visibly bristled. "I'm gonna kill them," she muttered. "I'm gonna kill them, and no one's gonna stop me."

"Katie—"

"No!" she protested, getting up from her chair. "They had no right doing that! It's completely ridiculous! They're being too over protective, like always, but they have no right taking it out on you!"

James shook his head. "That's not the point."

Her head tilted, and her eyes took on that concerned gaze that usually made him feel better. "Then what is?"

Anxiety shot through his heart again, but then she lifted one hand to cup his face. James leaned into the touch, letting it calm his worries so he could begin to think again.

"I…I think they did it because of who I was when I was younger," he admitted. Katie's eyes showed her confusion, and he continued, turning his attention to the ground. "I, um, wasn't the nicest guy. I…made fun of Lance and Hunk, and…and said something really awful to Keith."

He dared to look up. Katie seemed nonplussed, and that almost made him even more terrified. Her face always told him how she felt— it had to be a bad sign that he couldn't read it now.

James swallowed nervously. "It's all really stupid looking back on it, but I was a really big jerk, and I shouldn't have made fun of them, especially Keith—"

"What did you say?"

James' heart stuttered. Katie's expression was so neutral…the dread began to build again.

"I…I told him he was only in the program because of Shiro…and then said something about how he didn't have parents."

His girlfriend nodded. "And what happened?"

James felt like he couldn't take this anymore. He felt horrible, having to recount all of this to the one person whose opinion he valued more than anything. He knew that she deserved the truth, but he never thought it'd be so painful.

"He, um, he punched me. We didn't really talk after that."

"Huh…" Katie trailed off, and then all of the sudden, she was smiling. "Sounds like it's even, then."

He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. "Wha— What?"

"I said, it sounds like things are even between you two," she repeated. He registered that she was intertwining her fingers in his, but everything seemed hazy, and he wasn't sure if this was actually happening.

Katie's hands squeezed his, and he was brought back to reality.

"James, we all make mistakes," she said. "You're different now, I know it."

His eyes were stinging, and he wished they weren't. "I-I, yeah, I am, b-but I just—"

"You were worried they'd told me," she finished for him.

James shook his head rapidly. "No, no, it's— I…you deserve to know the truth, Katie, and…I'm not perfect, and I have a lot of flaws, and I don't want to keep those from you because we're together now, and I—"

"James," she whispered, and his rambling came to a stop. "I accept you, flaws and all. Though I'm not really sure what flaws you're talking about," she teased.

The weight that had been sending him straight into the floor lifted. "Well, for one thing, I can be really uptight when I'm stressed," he confessed.

Katie just shrugged. "Most people are."

His heart began to warm. "And, I, uh…I'm too type-A? Rizavi says I'm a stick in the mud."

"So?" his girlfriend questioned. "I don't think you're a stick in the mud, so it doesn't matter."

A laugh escaped him. "I guess…" he trailed off, trying to think of anything else important. "Oh, also, I really hate anything lemon flavored."

Katie giggled, her eyes glittering. "I don't think that's a flaw, silly."

"Still," he shrugged, "There's more."

Her smile widened, and she ran her thumbs over the back of his hands. "James, I like you just the way you are," she insisted. "I know you're a perfectionist, and that's why you see all of these flaws, when I just see _you_. And I like _you_."

James couldn't resist anymore. He leaned down and engulfed her in a hug, burying his head in her shoulder and holding her as tight as he dared.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and laughed. "You're adorable, James."

"I think you mean emotional," he mumbled against her sweater.

"Mmm, true." One of her hands began to thread through his hair. "But anyways, it's good that you can admit those things. Most people can't."

James shrugged. He was just so relieved she hadn't decided to leave him. He hadn't realized how terrified he'd been of the possibility until that moment.

"And besides…" his girlfriend continued. "I have flaws, too."

He snorted, lifting his head and absentmindedly brushing his lips against the top of her hair. "Nah, no you don't."

Katie laughed. "Yes, I do," she said before she pressed gently against his chest. She looked up at him, and he melted at the sheer amount of affection in her eyes. "I just hate admitting mine, so you're one step ahead of me."

"Nope," he shook his head. "You don't have any. I'm sure of it."

Giggling, she joked, "Not even staying up until three am every night?"

James grinned, and again just so overwhelmed that his heart felt like it would burst with joy, he gathered her in his arms. "Nope, not even that."

"You're ridiculous." Her tone told him that she'd rolled her eyes.

"I know," he hummed. James held her close, one of his hands moving to stroke up and down her back like he knew she loved. "Thank you, Katie," he whispered. "I was really worried about telling you."

"Well I'm glad you did," she replied softly. Then suddenly, a loud laugh left her lips. "Besides, there's really nothing for you to be worried about!"

James leaned back so she could see his raised eyebrows. "Oh?"

Katie gave him a dubious look. "What, like you were actually worried they'd follow through on that threat?"

"…maybe?" he squeaked.

"Silly James," she tsked. "Shiro wouldn't dare because he's too nice— he's just a big teddy bear."

James shrugged. "Well him I wasn't too worried about."

Katie's eyes shined with amusement. "And Allura?"

"She scared me, I'm not gonna lie. She's got that energy whip."

His girlfriend snorted. "You're in the clear— she's been trying to take me out shopping for new date outfits for weeks, now."

"Hunk?"

"Wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Lance?"

"Terrified of my bayard."

"Keith?"

Katie looked up in thought. "…okay, you might actually want to look out for him."

James groaned, hiding his head in her shoulder. "You're not helping," he whined pitifully. She laughed without mercy.

"Sorry, dear," she consoled, and his heart skipped a beat at the endearment. Katie released her hold on him so she could pat him on the head. "The Black Paladin is always the most protective," she grinned.

He sighed dramatically. "I had to go and pick the one girl who has her own private security, didn't I?" he questioned, then gave a cheesy smile. "Guess they're just trying to… _guard_ your heart!"

Katie groaned, her head falling against his chest. "Your puns are unbearable."

"And yet you stay with me," he chuckled.

She looked up and winked. "What can I say? You're too cute for me to leave."

James' eyes flickered to the clock on the wall. "Speaking of leaving—"

"Noooo!" Katie moaned. "James, it's too early!"

"But you've already worked your allotted overtime hours," he said, dragging her up slowly from her lab chair. She made no attempt to resist, and he smiled. "Come on, to bed we go."

Katie gave him a suggestive look as he lead her out to the hall. "Don't let anyone else hear you say that— rumors might spread."

James felt his face begin to flush bright red. "Duly noted."

His girlfriend's laughter resounded in his ears, but he just marched on, fighting the urge to grin like an idiot. He didn't slip in his words as much as he used to, but whenever he did, she was still quick to tease him about it.

Which reminded him…

James eyed his girlfriend. "You know, speaking of that—"

"Do I even _want_ to know what you're about to say?"

The MFE commander rolled his eyes. "Not that, the 'rumors might spread' thing. Do you…do you think your dad knows?"

Katie squeezed his hand reassuringly. "He hasn't brought it up," she shrugged. "I say we cross that bridge when we get to it. I think he would've said something by now if he wasn't okay with it."

James hummed in agreement, even though he wasn't so sure. He'd been thinking about it a lot lately, especially since they'd become official. It just felt so weird to report to Commander Holt knowing that they still hadn't discussed the fact that James was dating his daughter. Not to mention that his mother had always said that a gentleman asks permission, and James felt he'd be letting her down in some way if he didn't.

They arrived at her door moments later, and James felt his heart rate increase for a different reason altogether. She opened the door as usual, and he slipped inside after her. The moment the door shut behind him, Katie wrapped her arms around his waist and sighed happily.

He held her tight, letting her bury her face in his chest as much as she wished. He knew how she was. In true privacy was the one place where she felt she could let down all her walls. They didn't have to worry about anyone walking in on them now— they were free to do as they wished, to be themselves.

"Thank you for bringing me dinner," she mumbled against his shirt. "You really are the best boyfriend ever."

"I don't think you have the comparative data to make that claim," he joked.

"Oh please, neither do you," she laughed, snuggling into him more and breathing in deeply. He knew it'd been a good move to put on extra cologne. "Besides, I don't need it, anyways. I know you're the best there could possibly ever be."

His heart skipped a beat, and not for the first time, an idea popped into his head. It had been haunting him for a couple weeks now, but he never felt bold enough to try it.

But then she was leaning back from him, smiling up at him with those twinkling honey eyes, and he knew that he would regret it if he didn't, especially after he'd been so scared he would lose her tonight.

Slowly, James leaned down and ever so carefully pressed his lips to her cheek. It was just as soft as he'd imagined. His face felt like it was on fire, and he felt hers begin to heat up as well before he pulled away.

Wide eyes stared up at him, and something within him stirred, knowing that he already wished for so much more, but also knowing that he needed to be patient. He wanted to get this right. He couldn't rush it.

James leaned down to set his forehead against hers. "Goodnight, Katie," he murmured.

She blinked, and he wondered if she was aware that her grip on his shirt tightened. "G-Goodnight, James."

His heart was still racing when he left.

* * *

The next morning, James Griffin took in a deep breath. He could do this. He _would_ do this.

Steeling his nerves, he lifted his hand to the door and knocked.

"Come in!" was the muffled response.

'You got this,' he told himself. James turned the handle, then walked in.

Commander Sam Holt turned in his chair to face him. "Ah! Officer Griffin, what do you need?"

"I, ah, I came to talk about a personal matter, sir."

The higher ranking man's eyes had a knowing look to them. "I see. Take a seat, why don't you?" he offered, gesturing to a chair in front of his desk.

James sat down, trying to relax his tense shoulders as he did so. His superior still had that air about him, like he knew what this was about, but was content watching James sweat it out.

"So…" Commander Holt trailed off. "What is the personal matter you speak of?"

The MFE commander swallowed. "It's about your daughter, sir."

"Ah, I see." His expression became serious.

James nodded. He'd practiced what he planned to say over and over again this morning. Here's hoping he didn't screw it up.

"Sir, I believe you are aware of the relationship between your daughter and me."

Commander Holt didn't say anything.

James felt his confidence waver. "Well, I-I wanted to ask your permission. T-To date her, that is. We've, uh, we've been officially dating since the first of the month, and I didn't feel right about it without talking to you, sir."

His superior stared him down for several seconds before a small grin came onto his face. "I _have_ known for some time, Officer Griffin," he confirmed.

The MFE practically jumped out of his chair. "O-Oh."

"Don't worry," Commander Holt chuckled. "If I had any problem with it, I would have said something."

James' shoulders relaxed. "That's what Katie said," he laughed awkwardly.

The Commander's smile widened. "Of course it is, she knows her dad well. And I do appreciate that you came to me for permission. Now," he straightened up. "I assume I don't need to give you a speech about how to behave?"

"No, sir," James replied immediately. "I've already gotten that from all the Paladins and the Green Lion."

Commander Holt stood up from his desk. "Well then, if the giant cat approves, so do I," he joked.

James let out yet another nervous laugh as he got up from his chair. Commander Holt came around the desk and held his hand out. James took it, shaking firmly.

The Commander leveled him with a serious look. "Katie may be a grown woman now, but she's still my little girl. Remember that."

James inclined his head. "Always, sir."

"Good," his superior said before clapping him on the back. "Now get going— I know you're on first shift. Don't want to be late!"

"No, sir," James chuckled, reaching for the door. He paused before he left, taking one final look back. "Thank you, sir."

Commander Holt smiled. "Make her happy, that's all I ask."

James nodded and walked out, his shoulders slumping in relief. He'd done it…wait, he'd done it!

He laughed out loud. Wow, he'd actually done it!

'Told you I listened, Mom,' he thought. 'You would've liked her, too, you know.' His heart ached a bit at the thought of Katie meeting his parents, a moment that he wished for every single day and a moment he knew he'd never get.

James shook the bittersweet thought from his head. It wouldn't do any good to dwell on the past. He had a shift to get to— and a surprise gift to plant in Katie's lab before she got there.

* * *

When the Green Paladin arrived at her lab that morning, she was in her usual state of barely-awake. She may or may not have stayed up for an extra hour after James walked her back, but he didn't need to know. She'd be able to get through the day just fine, like always.

Katie settled down at her station, glancing over the notes she'd left spread out the night before. Her foggy brain took them in slowly…then noticed a sticky note. She raised an eyebrow. Well that hadn't been there before.

There was a simple arrow drawn on it, and when her eyes followed where it was pointing, her heart squeezed happily.

She got up from her chair and walked over to the counter. On it lay her favorite sweater of James' (the navy blue one he always looked so good in), and on top of that was a little envelope.

Katie took her time slipping the sweater on and sniffing the collar. She'd never get over how absolutely intoxicating his cologne was. She took the note back to her desk, sitting down and opening it with a knowing smile.

 _Dear Katie,_

 _I'll be busy all day today, so please think of my sweater like a hug from me. (I sprayed extra cologne on it just for you.)_

 _Yours,_  
 _James_

 _P.S. Hope I wasn't too cheeky last night!_

The memory of his lips, far too warm and far too sweet, brushing against her cheek left her face burning. James was always one to take things slow, and given it was the first serious relationship for both of them, it was something she appreciated.

But then she could hear his voice saying goodnight, his tone slightly lower than usual, and Katie groaned, covering her face with her hands.

If only that man knew what he did to her.

* * *

 **Please leave a review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Y'all ain't even ready for this.**

 **A quick note: I often listen to certain music to help me with the mood of a chapter, so if you wanna know where my head-space was at, listen to "This Is My Choice" by Alan Silvestri. It's from the first Captain America movie.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

If there was one conclusion Katie Holt had come to lately, it's that she was in love with none other than James Griffin, the most handsome, sweet, encouraging, and funny person (yes, she found his puns funny, don't let him in on that) she'd ever met.

The only problem was, she had no idea how to tell him.

It was ridiculous, of course. They told each other practically everything, and neither of them were shy about their affections for one another. But something about it, the words "I love you," scared her. She was so terrified that he wouldn't feel the same, even though all data pointed to the fact that he most likely did.

Worse, she'd nearly slipped several times in the past week, and now she was on constant alert to make sure the words didn't tumble out. Which, of course, was difficult when he'd hold her close, gaze at her gently with those beautiful brown eyes, or kiss her cheek goodnight like he'd taken to doing (and it still gave her butterflies every time he did so).

Katie sighed, placing a hand over her swelling heart. She could still remember the exact moment she realized it.

 _Shiro was scrambling after her, calling, "Pidge! Stop running! He's in intensive care! You won't be allowed in!"_

 _"No!" she shouted. "I have to see him!"_

 _Katie rounded the corner, not breaking stride for a second. James— **her James** — had been hurt on mission. And no one was going to stop her from seeing him._

 _Tears stung her eyes. All she could imagine was James lying on the bed, unconscious, in pain, and without her by his side. She ran even faster._

 _Skidding around the final corner, she immediately saw the MFE's staring through a window. She forced her way to the front. Her heart broke instantly._

 _James was sitting halfway up on the hospital bed, his teeth gritted in pain as the doctors cleaned the wound on his side. His skin was charred where the laser had grazed him, a gruesome mix of black, purple, and red._

 _Her hands came up to the glass of their own volition._

 _The motion must have alerted him to her presence. James met her eyes and put on a brave smile. He glanced down at the wound, then waved casually._

 _Katie felt a sob trying to escape her throat. She could barely see due to the tears in her eyes, but when she noticed the bright red blood on the doctor's gloves, her hands balled up into fists._

 _James tilted his head, eyes going soft. "I'm okay," he mouthed._

 _"You idiot," she mouthed back. He laughed, but it was quickly followed by a sharp hiss of pain. One of her tears spilled over. She had never felt more useless in her entire life._

 _The stampede of the Paladin's footsteps finally caught up, and she heard their breathless panting as they gathered behind her trying to get a look for themselves._

 _"Geez," Lance muttered. "I'm amazed he made it out with just that."_

 _Keith jabbed Lance's side. "Not helping."_

 _The doctors brought out a needle to sedate him, and Katie let out a shaky breath. She couldn't stand watching, but she couldn't look away. That was **her** James, her lovely, sweet, handsome, brave James lying in there, and there was nothing she could do to help him._

 _A heavy hand landed on her shoulder, and Katie looked up to see Kinkade's calm expression. "He'll be fine, Pidge. I know it. He's gotten through worse."_

 _"Yeah," Rizavi agreed, bending down and giving Katie a wink, "You shoulda seen him **before** you two were dating! I think you've made him more cautious than ever!"_

 _"That statement is statistically accurate," Leifsdottir agreed. "He will return to his normal health as always, just like Kinkade said."_

 _Katie's eyes trailed back to James, taking in his now serene sedated face. She could feel her heart, her very quintessence reaching out toward him. Finally, she whispered, "He'd better, or I'll kill him."_

 _The Paladins and MFE's shared a chuckle._

Even now, her heart ached thinking about it.

The wait for the surgery to finish up had felt like decaphoebs, and when they'd finally let her in, she'd started crying the second he'd faintly breathed her name.

That was when she knew.

Katie sighed and rolled over in bed. That had been several weeks ago. Maybe she'd get up the courage to tell him soon, but it was still all so new to her. What if it was too early? How did she know if it was the right moment? Was it normal to be so head over heels for someone so quickly?

She didn't have the answers, and that worried her more than anything.

Resignedly, she got up from bed and walked over to the window. She pushed the button for the blinds to open, and to her complete surprise, there was no early morning desert sunshine. Instead, there was an ugly mix of grey skies, dark clouds, and pouring rain. Huh, she really needed to make a habit of checking the forecast more often.

With a shrug, Katie went about getting ready for the day. Today was her mandatory day off, the one that Keith and Shiro literally had to sit down and have a serious talk with her about to make sure she actually took it. Seems her extended hours on the log had everyone worried lately, even though she wasn't sure why. She knew her limits— heck, James probably knew her limits just as well by now.

But regardless of what either of them had to say, the new rules about mandatory vacations had been enforced a month ago, and she'd put it off this long. She just had no idea what to do with herself all day, especially since—

A knock startled her from her thoughts.

"Coming!" Katie shouted. She checked the mirror, deemed that she looked at least somewhat socially acceptable (thank goodness she'd already brushed her teeth), then made her way out of the bathroom and to the door.

She opened it, only to find her boyfriend grinning ear to ear.

"Good morning!" he greeted.

Katie raised an eyebrow. "Morning," she replied slowly. Something wasn't right here…wait— "I thought you had flight tests all day today?"

The light in his eyes began to glow even more. "True, but the rain makes for low visibility," he explained, coming forward and tangling his fingers with hers. "Which means that I had nothing else on my schedule, and by default get the day off!" He finished his proclamation with a quick kiss to her nose.

"Oh no, whatever are you going to do with yourself for a whole day?" she teased.

"Mmmm, I don't know," he sighed dramatically. "I was hoping to spend it with someone special, but I don't wanna be a bother."

Shaking her head, Katie leaned up and pressed a kiss of her own to his cheek. "Silly, you knew how much I was going to miss you today," she said. She tugged on his hands to follow her back into her room, and he followed. Katie headed for the bathroom, desperately needing to run a brush through her hair before she went anywhere. She looked back in the mirror to see that James had settled himself on the edge of her bed.

"So what did you have in mind?" Katie called.

He shrugged. "Snuggling."

A blush rushed to her cheeks, but she finished brushing her hair. "Besides that?"

The sound of her boyfriend chuckling reached her ears. "I have no idea. What were your plans for the day?"

Katie hummed in thought as she walked back over toward him. When she stopped in front of him, he took her hands and pressed gentle kisses to each one, making her smile before she finally replied, "Honestly, not much. Although I am making cookies with my mom in an hour."

James nodded. "So, breakfast together, and then I'll see you after you visit with your mom?"

She shook her head. "I never said you couldn't join us, James."

A bit of guilt entered his eyes. "I know, but…it's…that's supposed to be just you and her. I don't want to intrude."

"You're not intruding if I invite you," she told him. He still looked hesitant, and she leaned forward to press a kiss to his forehead. "Please come, James. I—"

 _I love you._

She paused before the words slipped out. "—I think that my mom would like it, too. She's been asking about getting to know you better."

His warm hands came up to cup her face, and she felt herself melt when deep brown eyes met hers.

"Only if you're sure," he whispered.

His voice had lowered, and it was soft, so incredibly soft. A flash of heat went through her, and she wondered if it was her imagination that they both seemed to be drawn closer together like magnets.

But she still worried that he didn't feel welcomed, so she broke the moment to respond by nodding seriously. "I'm sure, James."

He nodded back, then smiled and stood up. "Shall we go to breakfast?" he asked, offering his arm.

"We shall!" she giggled. She looped her arm through his without hesitation.

The couple walked down the halls in contented silence, but all Katie could think about was what had just happened. They'd been having more of those moments, recently. The times where they'd go still, get lost in each other's eyes, and be held frozen in a magical world where all they could feel was warmth and happiness.

Those were the times when it was hardest to not tell him, because the words always wanted to tumble out so bad, but she couldn't bring herself to let them.

'Soon,' she promised herself.

They walked through the sliding doors to the cafeteria, and it didn't take long before there were calls from their usual table. The couple waved back, made their way through the line, then walked over to sit down with their friends.

"We got soooo lucky today," Nadia grinned. "There was no way I was gonna last longer than three hours training those newbies."

"My bet was two," Kinkade said.

"One at maximum," Ina corrected.

Shiro shook his head fondly at the group of young adults. "I think you still need to learn an important lesson when dealing with the new cadets. Patience—"

"—yields focus," the entirety of Team Voltron droned, and everyone laughed.

"You taking the day off, Pidge?" Keith inquired.

Katie rolled her eyes. "I think you guys would lock me in my room if I didn't."

Hunk shrugged, "Hey, you've earned it. I can't wait until my next day off— sometimes it's good to let your mind take a break."

"Yeah!" Lance agreed wholeheartedly. "Just don't think for a day!"

"I can't imagine what that's like," Katie snorted, and she caught James' amused smile out of the corner of her eyes.

Nadia took a bite off her food before she pointed her fork at James. "What're you gonna do? Bury your nose in paperwork?"

Katie snickered, and James rolled his eyes. "Actually, I have much more important things to spend my time on," he said, leaning over and unashamedly kissing her on the cheek.

Their group of friends gagged, and the couple laughed.

"We're making cookies with my mom in a bit, though," Katie added on.

"Ooooh," Nadia said, waggling her eyebrows. "Sounds stressful!"

Shiro shook his head. "Mrs. Holt is the nicest person in the world."

"I'm not sure the former Admiral would have agreed," Ina intoned.

"Well, Matt and Pidge had to get their spunk from somewhere!" Hunk claimed.

Lance hummed wisely. "Brains from science dad, fury from terrifying mom."

Katie was quick to summon her bayard and hold it up, letting the crackle of electricity put Lance back in his place. The group chuckled at her unspoken threat.

Breakfast was a quick affair, and though conversation continued to flow easily, she could tell that James was uncommonly stiff. Occasionally Katie would reach over with her foot and nudge him, and that always worked to get him out of his daze. Still, she knew why. Anything that involved her parents made him incredibly anxious. She halfway wondered if it would always be like that, then blushed when she noticed she'd thought the word "always."

…and then she blushed even _more_ when she realized that the concept of always with James didn't sound bad in the slightest.

* * *

"So James, have you ever baked before?"

Katie had to stop herself from laughing at the panicked look in her boyfriend's eyes.

"I mean…does box mix with my mom when I was twelve count?" he queried, rubbing the back of his neck.

Her mom tutted. "It'll do." She walked toward the oven, pushing a few buttons to turn it on. "We're making peanut butter cookies, and I don't think they'll be too difficult."

"They're my favorites," Katie supplied.

Her mom was quick to turn around and give James a wink. "Which means you need to pay extra close attention to the recipe so you'll remember it!"

Katie wanted to burst out laughing when James nodded seriously. "Will do, ma'am."

The mother and daughter's eyes met, and Katie snickered at the look her mom was giving her. She _definitely_ approved.

"Step one," her mom clapped her hands, "Gather all the ingredients!"

Within a few minutes, the trio had almost everything spread out of the counter. All they needed was the flour, but that was on a high shelf. Katie stood on her tip toes, reaching in vain for the bag. Just before she could climb up onto the counter, a hand reached over her head and grabbed it for her.

"Need help?" her boyfriend teased.

She stuck her tongue out. "I could've gotten it."

"Mmhm, sure."

There was a chuckle, and the couple turned to see Katie's mother smothering a laugh with her hand. "Ah, the benefits of having a tall boyfriend," she said fondly.

Katie didn't need to look up to know that James was blushing. To be fair, she was, too.

The process of baking the cookies went on as such— her mother giving instructions, James dutifully obeying them down to the letter, and Katie staring at him adoringly as he did. There was something about seeing him interact with her mom that made her so incredibly proud, almost like she wanted to say, "Look! I _knew_ I got a good one!"

Then, there was one moment in particular that she knew would stay in her mind forever. James had finished rolling out the final ball of cookie dough, and when he said he was done, her mom had stepped up and placed her hand on his arm in a show of gratitude.

Katie didn't miss the way his eyes flashed with past pain, only to quickly soften.

She wondered what was going through his head. She wondered if her family would come to accept him as one of their own, and he in return. Ever since he'd told her what happened to his parents, she was plagued by the thought of how lonely he must feel. Both of his parents had been only children, and he'd had no siblings.

Watching him now, his eyes widening in joy as he bit into his first cookie and thanking her mother profusely for letting him help, she knew she wanted to do everything she could to fill that hole in his heart.

No, she knew she couldn't replace what he'd lost. She only hoped that her love was enough to help ease the pain.

 _If only she could tell him._

* * *

A familiar knock sounded at her door, and Katie giggled. "You know it's unlocked, silly!" she called.

Her back was to the door when it opened. She was fiddling with the cables connected to the Mercury Gameflux Two. James had inquired about it earlier, having almost tripped over where it was sticking out from under her bed. It had been ages since she'd pulled it out, and now she was tangled in a mess of the wires she'd jerry-rigged to get it to work on the Castle Ship.

There was a beep, and the machine came to life.

"Aha!" she shouted, smiling widely. She turned around to give him a controller—

Her entire body froze.

James was walking over, a newly acquired blanket from her bed in his hands. He had on a light grey t-shirt, flannel pajama pants, and his hair was slightly ruffled.

That wasn't what made her stare, though.

"What?" her boyfriend asked, his head tilted curiously.

It occurred to her that she hadn't said anything for almost a minute now, but she still couldn't find the words.

James sat down next to her. The concern in his eyes was clear as day. "Katie? You said we were playing video games, right? Is the system not working?"

"I-I, ah…" she stuttered. "Y-Yeah, we are, I just, um…you…?" She lifted a finger to point at his face.

Realization lit up his brown eyes. "Oh! My— yeah, I only wear them when I play," he said, pushing his glasses further up his nose in a way that was far more endearing than it should've been. "My eyes get tired with all the light from the screen."

Katie finally snapped out of her daze. "Wait, do you…do you wear contacts?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Guess I just kinda forgot to tell you," he laughed shyly.

She nodded back, but she still just couldn't stop _staring_. Was the tension in the room thick, or was it just her? All she knew was that James looked way too attractive in glasses, and it was doing things to her that she'd never experienced before.

"Katie, are you okay?"

James' brow was furrowed, and before she could stop herself, she blurted, "You look really good with glasses."

He blinked. "I-I…thank you."

Her cheeks were burning. "You're welcome."

Gosh, she felt so embarrassed, but she couldn't bring herself to feel bad about it. She'd always known he was handsome— she had eyes, after all. But there was something about seeing him then, looking like he was about to go to sleep (she tried to not insert "with me" in her head), that made her fall into a spell.

Quiznak she loved him _so much_ , and she wanted to tell him _so bad_.

It seemed that she wasn't the only one in a daze, because James' eyes had that look that always made her heart melt into a gooey mess. Wordlessly, he pulled her into his lap, wrapping her tight in his arms. Katie snuggled into him, sighing contentedly. What was it about everything about him that was just so utterly perfect?

They cuddled in blissful silence for several minutes. At some point, one of James' hands began to rub gentle circles into her back. The ministrations nearly made her fall asleep, but he spoke before she could.

"How are your nightmares lately?"

Ah. So that's what he'd been thinking about. The question didn't surprise her. Only a couple weeks ago had she confessed her struggles with PTSD, and ever since, he'd been sure to check up on her often. He was never pushy, never pressured her to speak more than she felt like about it. And most times, she only gave the minimum information necessary. But the fact that he knew, the fact that he _cared_ , meant more than she could ever say.

Katie hummed. "Better. They're not as often anymore."

He let out a soft breath. "That's good."

They fell quiet again. She half-wondered if he would ask anything more, but she knew he wouldn't. For some reason, that made her want to talk about it. She knew she could trust him. He wouldn't pry.

Katie shifted in his arms, situating herself so she could look at him better. "They used to be a lot about Matt and Dad…those went away a few months ago after everything was finally over," she told him. "Then after that, as I grew closer to the team, it was about them. They'd…die, and it'd be my fault, or I-I didn't act fast enough, and I f-failed, or…"

Tears were stinging her eyes. Katie took in a deep breath to calm herself. She vaguely registered the fact that James' hands had moved to her arms, rubbing up and down comfortingly.

"You don't have to continue," he murmured. "If it hurts too much—"

She shook her head. "No, I want to tell you." After another shaky breath, she closed her eyes. "Lately they've been about you. After…after the mission."

" _No_ ," he whispered. Katie opened her eyes at the exact moment he cupped her face. "Katie, I'm…I'm _so_ sorry."

She swallowed thickly. "James, it's not your fault. It's just what happens."

Her eyes flickered down to the hemline of his shirt. One of her hands began to reach, but she paused, looking back up to ask permission. James nodded. Slowly, she slipped her hand under his shirt, finding the spot on his side that she now knew by heart.

This had been the one exception made in their typically slow-paced, highly-modest relationship. After the mission, the doctors had said it would take time for the marred skin to fully heal. Dragging her fingers along the familiar puckered lines, she knew that they had gotten better, slowly but surely. It used to be a mottled mess of rigid scar tissue and scrapes. She remembered how she'd started crying the first time he'd let her do this.

But still…

Katie glanced up. "Does it still hurt?"

James looked ready to nod, but at that moment, her hand drifted over one of the more sensitive areas of the wound.

He winced. "Yeah, totally fine," he lied.

She gave him a half-glare. "James—"

"It's better than it was," he amended. Katie accepted this answer, and he looked relieved. When she removed her hand, he was quick to take it and press a gentle kiss to her palm. "I'll be fine, I promise."

She nodded, but a contemplative frown came onto her face. "War leaves a lot of scars," she muttered.

"It does," he agreed softly. "But they heal, with time." His hand came up to give her head a meaningful touch. "Yours will heal, too. I know it. You're one of the strongest people I've ever met."

And there they were again, wonderfully trapped in another one of these moments. Katie felt his eyes drawing her in like a black hole, one she wouldn't mind succumbing to. She had no idea where this moment would lead, but she didn't care. All she knew was she couldn't take her eyes off him.

By the looks of it, James felt the same way. His gaze was adoring, half-lidded, with a tiny spark in them that she hadn't yet identified. Their faces were inches away now, and he let out a shuddering breath. Katie closed her eyes at the sensation of his breath hitting her lips. They were so _close_ …

Then suddenly, she felt him jolt. Her eyes fluttered open. James had backed up, his eyes wide, and his mouth open to speak. She tilted her head, but it seemed nothing would come out of him.

Finally, he cleared throat, stammering, "K-Katie, there's, um, something I wanted to say."

She blinked. "Of course, what is it?"

"I, ah…" he swallowed. "Well, it's something I wanted to say for a while, and…I didn't know if it was the right time, or if it was too soon, but…" His eyes met hers, and her heart skipped a beat. "I love you. I really do. And…I don't want you to feel like you have to say it back, because well, um, because I was interested in you before you were interested in me, and I don't want you to feel pressured—"

Without a second thought, Katie pressed her lips to his cheek. She stayed longer than usual, feeling him freeze under her, then reluctantly let her lips leave his skin so she could stare into his beautiful brown eyes again.

"I love you too," she laughed breathlessly. "I love you a lot, and I've wanted to tell you for weeks now, but I was too scared."

James gaped at her, but gradually, he relaxed. He took her face in his hands, leaning down and letting his lips lightly brush over her forehead. "I was scared, too," he murmured. Then, he chuckled. "Actually, I was _terrified_. I've never loved anyone like this before."

One of Katie's hands lifted to caress his cheek. "Me neither," she confessed shyly. "I…I just didn't know when or how to tell you."

A little smile came onto his lips. "It's okay," he assured her. "When…when did you know?"

A blush lit her face. "Someone's nosy," she teased.

"Just curious," he hummed, pulling her closer and nuzzling his nose in her hair. "I knew when I got hurt on mission." James pulled back so he could look into her eyes. "All I could think about was getting back to you."

Her eyes widened. "That's when I knew too," she admitted. "I'd never been more scared in my life, and even though I knew it wasn't that bad, the idea of not having you…it just—"

"It's unimaginable," he finished for her. She nodded. James moved one of his hands from her face to her back, stroking there soothingly. "I'm still so sorry for scaring you like that."

Katie was about to say, "it's okay," but then she smiled when a different thought hit her.

"At least it lead to something better," she decided. "Otherwise, we would've kept beating around the bush forever. We're kinda good at that."

James chuckled, and was she imagining things, or did his eyes flicker toward her lips?

"You do have a point," he grinned. His eyes gazed deeply into hers. "I love you, Katie."

Her heart swelled, and knowing that she had to be wearing what she knew was the sappiest smile ever seen, she replied, "I love you, too, James."

The pair shared an embarrassed laugh before they fell into their previous trance. James loved her…he _loved_ her. Katie felt like she could die happy now.

After a few minutes in their blissful state, James' eyes moved to look behind her. "So…do you still wanna play that game you told me about?"

Grinning, Katie shifted so she could bury herself in his chest. "Mm, it can wait," she decided.

A kiss to the top of her head told her he agreed.

* * *

 **Confession: I now ship this more than Plance, but can you blame me? They're so cute!**

 **Leave a review please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Grab a blanket, some cozy socks, and a hot chocolate, because you're about to feel ALL the warm fuzzies. Enjoy!**

* * *

James Griffin had lost track of how many times he wanted to kiss Katie Holt. All he knew was that it was starting to become the only thing he could think about.

To be fair, they'd been dating approximately three months now. It seemed to be an appropriate amount of time to wait, although who was he to judge? He'd never been in a relationship before, so his guess could be entirely false.

Either way, it was really turning into a problem.

"Come on! Come on!" Katie pleaded as she dragged him down the hall.

He knew they were headed in the general direction of her laboratory, but he had no idea why. She'd simply burst into the MFE hangar, started rambling about something, then grabbed him.

Not that he minded. He'd been getting a headache reading through the information packet on the new upgrades made to the MFEs.

When they finally reached her lab, Katie wasted no time in pushing him into a chair. James sat back and watched her run around with an amused smile. It must have been something truly spectacular for her to act like this. She had that sparkle in her eyes, the one she couldn't hold back when she'd just made a new discovery.

Before too long, she had brought a box over and was removing the lid. "Take off your jacket," she instructed.

James blinked, but did as he was told. Katie took it from him and set it down before she finally met his eyes for the first time since she'd dragged him away.

"I think I figured it out," she told him. "But I don't want to show anyone else until I'm sure."

He opened his mouth to ask what she was talking about, but before he could, Katie turned and pulled out a familiar translucent glove.

James' eyes widened. "The nanothermite tech? You got it to work?"

Her eyebrows furrowed. "I did, and I tested it on myself, but the pieces only connected when I used my Olkari gem, and I'm wondering if I'll be able to recreate it on someone else because I might be accidentally powering it with my quintessence and not just the power from the gem."

"I, uh…" James trailed off. He wasn't entirely sure what she just said. "So you…want to test it on me?"

Katie nodded enthusiastically. "If that's okay with you," she said. Suddenly, her eyes fell to the floor. "I…I don't want anyone else to know yet in case it fails," she admitted.

Upon seeing her dismay, James held out his hand. "I'm sure it won't," he assured.

Her eyes shined with hope. Katie slipped the glove on his hand, then reached into the box and pulled out another piece. She scooted closer, sliding what he assumed was the forearm portion onto his arm.

A finger reached forward to push the activation buttons, but she paused. "Quiznak, I hope this works," she whispered.

Frowning, James put his hand under her chin to lift her eyes to meet his. "It will, Katie," he said. "You're the smartest person I know. And if it doesn't work now, then I know you'll figure it out eventually."

Her face broke out in a smile, and she leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "I love you."

James pressed a quick kiss to her nose. "And I love you, too."

Katie's eyes fell back down to the button. She bit her lip. "Well, here goes nothing."

She pushed the button, and the couple held their breath.

The pieces of armor came to life. The fluid metal wrapped around his hand, then his arm, but—

"It's okay, it's still doing that," Katie said when she saw his concern. She placed her hand over the disconnected portion at his wrist. "This is the tricky part."

He watched as she closed her eyes, her eyebrows knitting together in concentration. Slowly but surely, the gem in her bracelet began to glow. Then, piece by piece, the weaves of metal began to intertwine.

Katie peeked one eye open. "Is it connected?

"Uhuh," James nodded, awestruck.

Grimacing, she removed her hand. Then finally, she dared to look down.

It had stayed together.

"YES!" she screamed, punching into the air. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

James couldn't hold back his laughter as she got up and began to jump up and down all around the room. He rose from the chair to join the celebration, catching her in his arms and pressing an adoring kiss to her forehead.

"I'm so proud of you," he chuckled. "I told you you were a genius."

Katie giggled in his hold, her arms coming up and wrapping around his neck. "Thanks for being my lab rat," she joked. "I might need to borrow you a few more times, if you don't mind."

And there it was. Whether it was their proximity, how her eyes were shimmering with delight, or the fact that he loved it when she teased him, it didn't matter. He wanted to kiss her. He could practically feel himself being drawn in, and it really didn't help that she was smiling so brightly up at him.

But James caught himself. Maybe it was too soon. After all, they'd only confessed that they loved each other a week ago.

He forced himself to resist the temptation, and thus for the next hour of sitting down and letting her use him as an armor model, the vision of her lips so close to his haunted him.

* * *

"Duck!"

"Good call— lean right!"

"Thanks, babe!"

"Babe?" James questioned as he landed a punch on the drone. "That's a new one."

He could hear Katie's eye roll in her response. "It just slipped out, okay!"

Snickering, he turned around and gave her a wink. "Whatever you say, honey."

"You're incorrigible," she claimed. The next second, she was throwing her bayard behind his shoulder. The electric shock told him she'd hit her target spot on.

James' expression showed how impressed he was. "Nice one, dear."

This time, he did see her roll her eyes. "I accidentally give you a pet name _one time_ , and now I'll never hear the end of it," she grumbled.

James opened his mouth to tease her, but whatever joke he had in mind quickly evaporated when he saw a drone rise up behind her. "Katie—!"

She spun around. It was already too late. The drone hit her side with a hard smack, and James rushed forward, catching her before she could hit the ground. The velocity of her body slamming into his sent them to the floor, and they both let out a groan.

James blinked his eyes open…only to immediately freeze. Katie was on top of him, lifting her head slowly as she tried to regain focus. Their eyes met. Time stopped.

His heart was racing, but not from the training they'd just been doing. He didn't realize that one of his hands had moved to wrap around her waist, nor that the other had cupped her cheek, gently pulling her in.

Her eyes were half lidded, and he knew he just _had_ to kiss her.

Then the shadow of the drone fell over them.

Thinking quickly, James grabbed her and rolled them out of the way, narrowly missing the sharp tip of a spear. He heard a hiss of pain, and he looked down.

Oh no.

Now _he_ was on top of _her_.

James scrambled to get off of her, his face burning as he stammered, "I-I am so sorry!"

He glanced up just in time to see the drone winding up for another strike. "End training sequence!" he commanded.

The drone froze, then powered down. He let out a relieved sigh. His eyes went back to his girlfriend.

Katie was still on the floor, holding her side, her face screwed up in pain. James leaned down and took her in with worried eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Mostly," she grunted before she gave him a wry grin. "You're taking the blame for this one. You distracted me."

A little piece of his heart broke. "I'm sorry, I didn't see it until it was too late," he apologized sincerely.

She shook her head. "It's okay, James, really. But I might need help getting back to my room."

He nodded. "Of course." James slowly helped her to her feet. He guided her over to the door, grabbing her things as they passed, then began the trek back to her room.

That night, he couldn't fall asleep. He was angry at himself, obviously. She'd gotten hurt because of him. All because he'd distracted her. Not to mention she almost got hurt _again_ because he'd wanted to kiss her.

James covered his face with his hands and groaned. This was getting to be troublesome.

* * *

Katie's footsteps pounded down the hall, and anyone with any amount of common sense made sure to not get in her way.

James followed behind his girlfriend calmly. He knew why she was upset— she had every right to be. Heck, he was, too. But it wouldn't do any good for both of them to be angry right now. It was affecting her the most, therefore she had priority over him.

They made their way to her room in silence, though he was pretty sure he occasionally heard her muttering through gritted teeth. When they finally reached her door, she threw it open, and he made sure to close it quickly.

The second he did, she exploded.

"I can't believe they said there's nothing we can do about it!" she shouted, already beginning to pace up and down the room. "There is clear evidence that there are many other planets who have faced similar problems to ours in regards to global warming, but do they want their input? No! It's like they won't even listen to it!"

James situated himself on the bed, purposefully keeping his face serene as he listened.

Katie's hands turned into fists. "There is plenty of science to back up all the solutions I've been researching, but just because it involves alien technology, they don't want to hear it!" Her eyes whipped around to meet his. "I mean, can you believe that?!"

He shrugged neutrally. "The Garrison and the UN have always been cautious when it comes to interacting with alien life," he replied. "This is just keeping in line with what their standard protocol is."

"But if saving the people of their own planet isn't worth trying to make those connections that could help us, then what is?" she groaned. Katie's shoulders drooped, and James sensed an opening.

He began to get up from the bed. "Katie, maybe you should talk to your dad about this—"

"And that's another thing!" she burst, resuming her pacing. "It's like they think we don't know anything, but we're the ones who have actually interacted with people! Quiznak, I even talked with Ryner just the other day, and it turns out that the Olkari used to have the same problem, and they solved it by planting more natural life to absorb the water!"

An amused chuckle escaped James' lips. He knew it was weird, but he found her strangely adorable when she was angry like this. He'd witnessed plenty of rants before, usually about her frustrations over an equation or about something stupid Lance said, but this one probably took the cake.

And for some odd reason, he found himself wishing that he could get up, walk over to her, and silence her by placing his lips over hers.

It's not that he didn't want to listen to her. Nothing could be further from the truth. He just had this incredible desire to do so, and he couldn't figure out why.

He knew it wasn't the right moment, though. He wanted their first kiss to be special and sweet, not a sudden thing like catching her off guard when she was mad.

Slowly, he rose from the edge of her bed. She was still rambling on and on, but she stopped when he stood in her path.

Chuckling, he opened up his arms. "Need something to punch?"

Her face showed her confusion, but then she quickly shook her head. "Yes, but not you," she muttered.

James shrugged. "I don't know, I've been told before that I'm a pretty good target," he said, then grinned as he continued, "but I know you'd never make it your _aim_ to hurt me!"

Katie, as she always did whenever he was being purposefully ridiculous, rolled her eyes. Soon, however, an uncontainable smile appeared on her face. She looked him dead in the eyes. "I hate you."

He snickered before he moved forward and pulled her into his chest. "Mmm, no you don't."

"No, I don't," she confirmed. It was quiet for a moment. Her hands wound around his waist, taking ahold of his sweater. Then, Katie heaved a heavy sigh. "What are we going to do?" she whispered. "I want to help, but it's like they won't let me."

James leaned back so he could stare into her eyes, all the while trying to not glance down at her lips, which were far too close to his. "You keep trying," he told her. "You keep doing your research, you keep talking with other planets, and eventually, you'll have so much evidence that they can't _not_ believe you."

Katie searched his eyes for a moment, then leaned up and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "You're the best boyfriend ever," she claimed.

"I try to be," he shrugged. "I'm mad about it, too. But I know how determined you are, and so I feel safe knowing the fate of the world is in your hands."

His girlfriend rolled her eyes. "You're so cheesy, you know that?"

Laughing, he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I know."

* * *

James was exhausted. Three nights, two days, almost no breaks. He understood the importance of this patrol, given the recent tensions between some of the Earth dwellers and their new alien visitors, but his brain could only take so much action with so little sleep before he had to shut down.

It took him a full thirty seconds to stand up from his pilot's chair. When he looked over at the other MFE's, he saw that his team was faring the same. Those seats weren't meant to be used over such long periods of time.

Stiff as a board, he made his way down the ladder, stretching his back as soon as he touched down. Something popped, and he sighed, closing his eyes.

He wanted three things: Katie, food, and a hot shower.

And it seemed as though his girlfriend had read his mind.

"James!"

When his eyes opened, he saw the most beautiful sight.

Katie was running toward him, eyes shining and hair flying, engulfed entirely by the sweater he'd left her days ago.

She looked ready to jump into his arms, but upon seeing seeing his tired expression, she thought better of it and simply tossed her arms around his waist. "I missed you," she said, squeezing tight.

After moving to hold her, James simply buried his nose in her hair and inhaled deeply. Had she just put on perfume, or had he just missed her that much?

"I missed you, too," he mumbled. "Missed you a _lot_."

Katie leaned back to look up at him. "You're exhausted," she stated.

He nodded silently, and she unwound herself from him to take his hand.

"Come on, let's get you rested," she said. Gently, she tugged on his hand, and he let himself stumble after her.

James wasn't sure how long it took to get to his room, probably because he was constantly struggling to keep his eyes open. Even when she opened the door with her key and brought him inside, it took a second for him to realize where they were…wait, what was that on his bed?

He walked over in a stupor, staring down at the clothes with confused eyes. Katie must have seen him, because she walked over, picked up the clothes, and handed them to him.

"I set these out for you to sleep in," she explained. James slowly accepted them, then Katie went up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "They made your favorite at dinner tonight, and I saved it. I'm gonna go heat it up— you shower, okay?"

He wished he could properly express how he felt in that moment. He loved her. He loved her so _much_. And a portion of him (a rather big portion) wanted to drop the clothes, take her face, and press his lips to hers. Surely that could fix him as much as eating and resting would, right? He thought it probably could. After all, Katie had an often magical effect on everything she touched, especially him.

But James shook the thoughts from his head. He was barely awake. Their first kiss was something to be cherished, something to be remembered. He would wait for a better moment.

That didn't mean he couldn't still express his appreciation, though.

He set the clothes on a side table, cupped her face, and kissed her forehead. "You are wonderful, and I don't know what I ever did to deserve you," he murmured.

She giggled. "Everything, I assure you."

He hummed, then leaned down and kissed her cheek. Katie laughed again, and he was struck with an idea. James began peppering her face with kisses, accentuating each one with a soft "I love you."

By the time he was done, his girlfriend had tears in her eyes from laughing so much. She pushed a gently against his chest to get him to stop, saying, "Wow, you really _are_ out of it."

And for some reason, his tired brain told him to put himself nose to nose with her. "No, you're just perfect, and I had to show you," he insisted.

Katie's eyes, now wide, blinked. It took her a moment to snap out of it, but when she did, she shook her head fondly. She picked his clothes up from the table and pushed them into his arms.

"Go shower, sir," she commanded. "I'll be back with dinner soon."

"Yes, darling," he replied.

He caught the sound of her laughing as she walked out, and when the image of her giggling as he littered her face with kisses filled his head, he found that he instantly regretted not kissing her.

* * *

James trudged back to his room with one thing and one thing only on his mind: he had to go pick up Katie's Christmas present.

He'd been so busy lately that he'd barely had time to _think_. Many Garrison employees had headed home early for the holidays, which left plenty of empty shifts. Given that he had no where else to go, James had decided to pick some up. He hadn't expected it to completely suck all the remaining time out of his schedule, though, and now it was the last day for him to pick Katie's present up from the store before they charged a late fee. The shop closed in thirty minutes, and he knew he'd just barely make it in time.

Speaking of Katie, he'd hardly seen her the past few days. She'd said she understood, of course, but he still felt awful about it. He would definitely consult her the next time he went to pick up extra shifts.

He determined that he'd see her first thing in the morning the next day. As much as he wanted to see her now, it was already far too late. He didn't want to bother her just because he missed her, even though he knew that she'd happily come over if he asked.

With the thought of grabbing his car keys and dashing out to the store in his mind, James opened the door to his room…then promptly froze at what was before him.

Katie was sitting criss-cross on his bed, stifling her laughter in her hands as she took in his expression. All around her were strands and strands of Christmas lights hanging from the walls. They provided the only light in the room, lighting her eyes in their warm glow.

"You…" he breathed. "You…?"

Snickering, she got up from the bed and walked up to him. "You hadn't decorated yet," she chided, intertwining her fingers in his. "So, I took it upon myself."

James couldn't form the words. He knew why she'd done it. He'd confessed a few days ago how he hadn't decorated for Christmas ever since his parents died. It hadn't felt right to celebrate without them.

But now, looking around the room, seeing Katie bathed in lights, her eyes twinkling, he felt overcome with an emotion he couldn't put into words.

Letting out a shaky breath, he leaned down and engulfed her in a hug. She held on tight, and he tried to not let out a little sob when her hand stroked up and down his spine.

"Thank you," he choked out. "I love you so much."

Katie snuggled into him more. "I love you too, James."

And for the first time, he wondered if this was the right moment. He could envision it now— kissing her in the glow of the lights, showing her how much this truly meant to him. It would be absolutely magical.

But then, she pulled back and gave him a sad smile. "I have to go," she told him. "I have to be up early tomorrow, and I promised Keith I wouldn't be late for once."

James forced himself to not beg her to stay. He thought this would be it, this would be their first…guess he had to wait a little longer.

Nodding understandingly, he pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Goodnight, Katie."

She leaned up and returned the kiss with one of her own. When she pulled away, the corner of her lips brushed his, and James' breath hitched.

"Goodnight, James," she whispered.

When she left, James fell back onto his bed in a daze. He laid there for who knows how long, daydreaming about what could have happened if he'd just _kissed_ her already.

He would kiss her soon, he decided. With that set in his mind, he went to sleep with a smile on his face, his errand to the store completely forgotten.

Paying the late pickup fee was worth it.

* * *

"So…have you kissed her yet?"

Kinkade's question made James go stiff.

"Oh please," Rizavi snorted from her place on the floor, "Knowing him, they're probably way past that!"

Leifsdottir raised an eyebrow. "Actually, knowing him would indicate precisely the opposite."

James felt his mind freezing up. This was definitely _not_ the conversation he expected post-training session.

"I-I, ah," he stammered. "T-That sort of information is between me and Katie."

His squadron traded a look before Rizavi loudly whispered, "Yeah, you're right, they totally haven't kissed yet."

A deep blush flooded James' cheeks. "Are we done here?" he questioned. Though he wasn't typically one to feel peer pressure, something about the look in his teammates' eyes made him sink low into a pit of humiliation. He knew he'd been taking things with Katie at an almost ridiculously slow pace, but their query made him feel like maybe he'd taken it _too_ slow.

But then again, should it really matter what they thought? It was his and Katie's relationship. Why should anyone else be concerned about what they had and had not done?

Still, as James Griffin walked away, his teammate's eyes on his back, he couldn't shake the feeling that maybe he'd waited too long. Maybe she'd get the wrong idea. Maybe she thought he didn't love her, even though he constantly tried to show that nothing could be farther from the truth.

James held in a sigh. He'd decided that he would kiss her almost a week ago now, but there had been no good opportunities to do so (either that, or he'd get too nervous and bail).

He tried as best he could to shrug it off. They had a date tonight, and he couldn't let himself be so in his head. Katie deserved all of his attention. His anxieties could wait.

* * *

"You are the slowest un-wrapper I have ever seen."

James chuckled. "I like to make it neat, okay?"

"Why, though?" Katie argued. "The fun part is ripping the paper to shreds!"

He shook his head fondly. They'd made their way back to his room after their date, and she had insisted that he open his presents from her first. Her eyes showed a mixture of nervous energy and excitement. She'd been hinting at his presents for weeks, now, but he had never succeeded in guessing them correctly.

Finally, he pulled the last piece away, then took the top off the box. Under layers of tissue paper was something dark brown. His eyebrows went up.

"Ugh, just open it already!" Katie exclaimed, twiddling her fingers anxiously.

James pushed the tissue paper aside, his eyes going wide when he realized what it was. "A leather jacket?" he asked.

His girlfriend nodded. "It's the one from that store at The Centre you like!"

A wide grin formed on his face, and he slipped it on to see if it fit. Unsurprisingly, she'd picked the right size. James turned, posing a little. "Like it?"

"Looks good on you," she said smugly. "I have good taste."

"Clearly," he laughed, taking the jacket off. It was a bit too warm with his sweater, but he knew it'd be perfect for when they took walks outside. He scooted closer, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. "Thank you, Katie."

"You're welcome," she replied. She reached behind her and set a medium sized bag in front of him. "One more!"

This time, James made sure to not unwrap it so slowly. Within a few seconds, he was staring down at something fuzzy, and when he recognized what it was, he burst out laughing.

Katie giggled with him. "I couldn't not get it, okay? It was so cute!"

Chuckling, James pulled the teddy bear out of the bag, taking in its little pilot hat and badge. "It's perfect," he declared. "I will never ever get rid of it."

"You'd better not," she teased.

"I won't," he promised. A little jolt of anxiety ran through him when he realized it was his turn. He reached behind him and grabbed all three of her presents, setting them down between them so she could take her pick.

"Hmmm," she hummed. "Let's go biggest to smallest!" She took the first package into her hands and shook it. "It feels light."

"And you said _I_ took too much time opening things," he commented.

Katie stuck her tongue out. "Guessing is part of the fun!" she claimed. When he rolled his eyes, she laughed and quickly unwrapped it. It took her a moment to read the package, but her eyes lit up when she had. "Is this one of those DIY bath bomb kits?!"

James nodded. "I saw it in the store and couldn't help it," he shrugged. "And I bet you can make them better than the recipes in the box."

"Oh totally," she agreed as her eyes scanned the writing. She looked up at him with mischievous eyes. "You know I'm dragging you in on this, right?"

"I might have been hoping you would," he grinned. "Come on, keep going."

Katie set the first box aside and reached for the next one. "Again, super light," she noted. "That makes it really hard to guess!"

James didn't respond, simply enjoying the look of surprise on her face when she unwrapped it.

"Where did you get this?" she gasped. In her hands was a new game for her Mercury Gameflux.

"Vintage store," he supplied. "They actually had a few more, but I thought you'd like this one best."

Katie hugged the game to her chest. "It's perfect! We'll play it tonight!"

He nodded, his eyes falling to her final present. This was the one he was most worried about. The other two he knew she'd like— they were silly and entirely her. This one was the one he _really_ hoped she liked.

James picked up the little box and set it in her hands. She shook it, and a metallic clink sounded. Her eyebrows furrowed. "I have no clue what this is," she said.

"Well," he swallowed. "Go on."

Her eyes met his upon hearing his nervous tone. Her hand reached to squeeze his, then came back and undid the ribbon. She lifted the lid off the box. Her mouth fell open in a little 'o'.

"It's, um…" he searched for the right words.

Katie lifted the silver chain from the box. On the end of it hung a copy of his dog tags. They spun around slowly, the engraved "I love you" on the back glimmering in the lights.

She gazed at it in awe. James wrung his hands. "I, uh, I know you don't wear a lot of jewelry, and you already have the bracelet, but…I wanted you to have a piece of me with you," he explained. "Just— just because."

Several moments of silence passed before Katie tore her gaze away from the dog tags to look into his eyes. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears.

"James," she sniffed. "I— I love you, too."

His shoulders dropped in relief. James leaned forward and gathered her in his arms. She hiccuped, and he rubbed her back soothingly. He hadn't been expecting such a reaction, but he understood. Dog tags weren't taken lightly in their jobs.

The couple let themselves take in the moment, holding each other tightly and relishing in the emotion passing between them. James only let go when he heard the clinking of the tags, and he looked down to see that she was putting them around her neck.

"I'll never take them off," she promised solemnly. One of her hands came up and rested against his cheek. "Thank you, James."

His brain suddenly registered her face being so close to his, and his heart skipped a beat. Here they were. This could be it. The room was dim, save for the warm glow of Christmas lights. Her eyes were glittering. Her lips were right there in front of him. It would only take a few inches forward, and they'd meet his.

James felt his heart rate begin to speed up. After all these weeks of torture, he could do this. He'd told himself he would.

Swallowing nervously, he looked down and took her hands in his. "Katie, I…" he trailed off. "You know we try to be very open and honest in our relationship."

His girlfriend nodded, "Mmhm."

James forced himself to look her in the eyes. "I— I've wanted to kiss you for a while now, and…"

"And?"

…was he mistaken, or was that hope in her voice?

"And," he continued, his eyes darting back down again, "I didn't want to do it too soon or without asking your permission."

"Okay."

He blinked up at her. "Okay?"

Katie cracked a little smile. "I've been wanting to kiss you too, you know."

A thrill ran through him. " _Oh_."

Her eyes softened. "Yeah."

James gazed into her eyes for a moment, trying to figure out where they went from there. "I…I don't have much experience," he confessed. "Or any, actually. This is my first."

Katie ducked her head shyly. "Me too."

Slowly, his hands lifted to cup her face. Her lashes fluttered, and his heart rate increased once more. "I don't really know how it goes," he admitted. "And I don't want to do anything you don't want."

They were so close, and the air between them felt so thick with anticipation. He wondered if she felt as nervous and excited as he did.

"I know you won't," Katie whispered, and as if to prove her point, she closed her eyes.

This was it, he realized. This was the moment he'd been waiting for. He only wished he wasn't so terrified he'd miss.

To ensure he didn't, he kept his eyes open as he leaned in. Her lips, so soft and so pink, lay in front of him, waiting for his. James let out a shuddering breath, and he felt Katie shiver in his grasp.

His mind was racing. How did he do this? Didn't he need to tilt his head to make sure their noses didn't bump? Was there some sort of method to figure out? Should he—

"James," she murmured. "Stop overthinking it and just kiss me."

He obeyed.

James closed the distance between them, placing his lips gently on hers. His eyes fell shut at the sensation, and in that moment he wondered why he'd waited so long for this. It all felt so _perfect_. His lips molded against hers, moving slowly as he pulled her closer.

Katie's hands came forward to rest against his chest, then began to make their way up to his neck. One hand reached for his hair, tangling in the locks. Unbeknownst to him, he let out a little sigh.

Instinct told him to tilt his head and kiss her deeper. He did, and it felt like he was falling in love all over again. She shifted to press into him more, her hand fisting his hair, and he had to stop a groan from escaping him.

The tempo slowly began to build. His heart was pounding in his chest as their lips began to move faster, and he wondered why he felt like he wanted so much of her and that the need could never truly be satisfied.

Something was begging him to part his lips, but before he could, James suddenly became very much aware of the fact that he was running out of air, not to mention that the heat between their bodies was almost unbearable.

Reluctantly, he broke the kiss, panting lightly. James took in his girlfriend's face. Her eyes were still closed, and slowly, they blinked open, wide with pleasant surprise.

James's eyes fell down to her mouth, his thumb moving to smooth over her bottom lip. "Was…was that okay with you?" he asked.

Katie nodded, her cheeks turning red as she breathlessly replied, "Uhuh."

Her voice sent a wave of warmth through him. James shifted his attention from her lips to her eyes. "Can we do it again?"

She answered by grabbing his collar and crushing her lips against his.

James squeezed his eyes shut, happily letting himself fall back into the sensations of everything that was _her_. He hadn't known how completely different kisses could be, but he was sure their second kiss was even better than the first. His hands fell to her waist, tugging her closer, and he thought he would die of joy when she followed his lead, climbing up onto his lap and leaning in to be flush against him.

She wound up at an awkward angle, resting on him sideways. Their lips parted, and they both moved to turn their heads the opposite way. Suddenly, their noses bumped, and the couple burst out laughing.

"Sorry," he apologized hastily.

Katie giggled. "Shut up."

Their lips were quick to meet again, pressing into each other firmly, and this time, he wasn't afraid to let out a soft moan.

James thought he could never get enough of it. The way she let out little noises of joy, how she tasted like the hot chocolate they'd shared earlier, the fact that both of them were clinging onto each other desperately. Her grip on his sweater tightened, and James felt his heart soar.

 _This_ was the day he discovered the true meaning of bliss.

Nothing compared to it. Not the exhilaration of flying, not the thrill of a fight. Kissing Katie Holt was all he would ever need in his entire life to keep him happy, he was sure of it.

All too soon, Katie made to move away. James let out a hum of disappointment, but when he opened his eyes, he found honey eyes shining with adoration.

"I love you," she whispered. "I love you so much."

He couldn't help it— James captured her lips with his again, trying his best to pour everything from his heart into her. She hummed happily into the kiss, and he squeezed her tight.

"I love you, too," he sighed when they parted. "You're _amazing_."

Katie bit her lip, looking up at him shyly. "You're pretty good, yourself."

Words couldn't describe how he felt in that moment. James leaned in and set his forehead against hers, his eyes closing to let him just soak it all in. His hand moved to stroke her back slowly, and he felt her fingers drift over his cheek.

"You're all I ever want," James murmured. His eyes fluttered open. He took her in, already wanting to kiss her all over again, but a thought occurred to him. James released his grip on her slightly, his expression turning serious. "From here on out, you set the pace. We'll move as slow or as fast as you want. I want you to tell me what you're okay with."

Though she looked surprised, Katie nodded. "I…" she trailed off. "I think I like it just how we are." Her eyes flickered down to his lips for the briefest of moments. "We'll figure it out together, but…for the time being, let's keep it slow," she decided.

James inclined his head. His eyes searched hers for a few seconds before he asked, "So…can I kiss you again?"

She replied by leaning up and placing a peck on his lips. "You can kiss me whenever you want," she grinned.

Needless to say, he took her up on that offer.

* * *

 **Christmas came early! Also, if you weren't aware, I wrote a random Jidge one-shot a few days ago, so go check that out!**

 **Please leave a review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**And then I twisted the plot. Enjoy!**

* * *

The room was quiet when Veronica stood up. She walked the length of the table, then came to a stop at the front. Her eyes scanned her audience.

"After much thought and consideration, the head council has decided that we don't have enough data on the Coalition planets," Veronica stated. She tapped a button on her tablet. Various pictures and stats came up on the screen over her head.

"As the home planet to the majority of the Paladins, Earth has been pushed into the spotlight, and we are sorely unprepared," she continued. "Most of our main allies like the Olkari and the Balmerans have come alongside us in getting us up to date on the politics of the universe, but many of those in the Voltron Coalition have only just recently heard that Voltron is still alive."

The analyst's eyes went to Shiro at her left, who stood. He leveled the group with a calm gaze. "We've been talking it over for a while. The ATLAS isn't ready for deep space travel, not with it being so new. The plan is to take the lions— it'll be the fastest and easiest way for us to travel."

Veronica nodded. "The tour has been mapped out. You'll visit one planet a day, some closer than others, so time will be of the essence. At each stop, you will meet with top dignitaries and leaders to gather information and reaffirm Coalition ties, not to mention check up on the aid needs of those planets which were formerly occupied."

Lance's head tilted. "That sounds like a lot. How long is this mission gonna be?"

"Just over a month," Iverson answered.

Katie found James' hand under the table. She squeezed tightly. He squeezed back.

"Well, when are we leaving?" Hunk questioned. "Seems like the details are still a little scrambled."

Keith inclined his head in acknowledgment. "We leave in a week. Matt's already gone ahead to set up appointments with each planet before we arrive. Everything will be ready by the time we get there."

"Any other questions?" Iverson asked. When he was met with silence, he nodded. "Then you are dismissed. Pick up the information packets on your way out."

The MFE's and Paladins began to get up from the table, and Katie let out the breath she'd been holding. Her eyes met James'. She wished she could read the emotions swimming in them, but she knew her own eyes must have looked the same. Neither of them knew how to feel about this.

* * *

"A _month_."

"Give or take a few days," her boyfriend joked, but his voice was strained.

Katie covered her eyes with her hands and shook her head. The bed dipped next to her. Warm arms wrapped around her shoulders.

"We'll be fine, Katie," James murmured. "We knew this was going to happen eventually. It's not going to be fun, but we'll get through it."

She snaked her arms around his waist and held on tight. She knew he was right— there had been whispers of a Coalition tour for weeks. She just hadn't thought it'd be so soon. Christmas had been barely a week and a half ago.

Katie pressed her eyes shut and buried her face in his chest. They'd only recently gotten used to him going on longer patrols, and now this? It sounded like a new kind of torture. Her heart was already squeezing painfully at the thought of being without him for so long.

"This sucks," she mumbled into his uniform. "This sucks a _lot_."

"It does," James agreed. "But it won't last forever. I'll be waiting for you when you get back."

Katie lifted her head to look into his eyes. "And I'll be counting the days until I see you again," she promised.

A tiny grin emerged on his face. "See? We'll be fine, just like I said."

Those words carried her through the entire week. Due to the amount of preparations to be done, all the Paladins were freed from their regular duties. And if people had thought that Katie and James spent a lot of time together before, then that didn't even begin to compare to how they were that week.

Not that either of them minded. It was like a clock was ticking down in their minds, constantly reminding them that these were their last few days to savor each other before she had to leave. It made sense that they'd stick together like glue.

Katie hated it. Did she love that James was making every effort to be with her through it? Of course. But did she hate how she'd catch him wringing his hands anxiously, only for him to then force a smile onto his face? With her entire being.

Part of her wanted to back out. She'd told him that four days before the departure.

"Katie, you're going to be _fine_ ," James stressed, his hands on her shoulders. " _We're_ going to be fine. A little time won't change anything."

She huffed, crossing her arms. "That's not what I'm worried about."

His brown eyes softened. "Then what, Katie? What can I say to make you feel better?"

"I don't know!" she burst. "It's a lot of things, okay?"

And just like that, his lips were on hers. Tears were stinging her eyes, and she hated it. She hated all of it. She hated how she couldn't express how she felt. She hated the dread of their coming separation. She hated how she couldn't stand the idea of being without him for more than a couple days.

Katie poured everything she could into him, holding onto his uniform so tight she was sure her nails left indents in the fabric.

When James broke the kiss, his eyes gazed steadily into hers. "I know how you feel right now," he whispered. "I've been trying to act like I'm okay with all of this, but I'm not. I'm worried about you, worried that if something happens, I won't be there to help you. But I know you. I know you've been through everything imaginable, and I know that something like a peace tour isn't gonna take you away from me. We'll be fine. It's just a few weeks."

All she could do was nod.

After that, things didn't seem so bad, but the heavy cloud of dwindling time still loomed over their heads. They ignored it as best they could— they had plenty of things to do, anyways.

James helped her make lists of things to pack, then aided her in putting it all in boxes and loading it into Green. He was there when she ran system diagnostics, stowed away the new nanothermite suits for testing, and put up string lights in her room in Green.

Having James with her was both wonderful and bittersweet. She wanted to enjoy every last bit of his company, but at the same time, knowing they'd be apart soon caused her heart to twinge with pain every time she saw him smile.

Before they knew it, her Garrison quarters were practically empty. Most of her important belongings had been loaded up, all except for her bedding for the final night.

Speaking of which, she never did tell him she'd briefly stolen his cologne and sprayed her pillow with it. Though she was pretty sure he'd done the same with her perfume— his room had smelled all too familiar the last time she was in there.

On the final night before the tour began, they sat down in Green after dinner and went through his checklists one last time.

"Hairbrush?"

"Check."

"Bobbi pins?"

"Check."

"Hair detangler?"

Katie paused, then scanned her cabinet once more. "Hmm, I don't think I remembered that one—"

A bottle came down in front of her eyes, and she turned to give James an amused look. "I think you know me too well."

"Maybe," he grinned. He gave her a hand up from the floor, and they stood back to take in the state of her renovated on-board bathroom. Everything was stashed away in orderly fashion, organized by category and amount of use. Turns out having a type-A boyfriend could be handy sometimes.

James glanced down at his list one more time. "That should be everything, other than the last box tomorrow morning."

Katie nodded. "Wanna go to the cockpit and run another test on the communicators?"

He nudged her, and she took that as a yes. The couple walked in silence, both preoccupied by their thoughts. Katie didn't dare look at him. They'd been quiet almost the entire day, save for the few moments where they'd suddenly find themselves tangled in a mess of frantic lips and breathy I love you's.

Without thinking about it too much, she reached out and took James' hand. He squeezed reassuringly. She let out a breath she'd been holding.

The pair reached the cockpit, and Katie immediately sat down in the pilot's chair. She grabbed the communicator on the dashboard in front of her, handing it off to James after pushing the power button. He took it and moved to lean against one of Green's side walls.

"Testing, testing, one, two, three," Katie called out. "Come in, comm one."

After a slight delay, the screen on the device in James' hand lit up. He pressed the answer key, and the video feed came live.

"Testing, testing, one, two, three," she repeated.

James cleared his throat. "Yes, hello comm Green, my name is James Griffin. I'm calling to enquire about a beautiful young woman. Short, spunky, way smarter than me. Heard of her?"

Katie rolled her eyes and turned in her chair to give him a raised eyebrow. "Dork."

He chuckled, moving off the wall to kneel down in front of her. "Maybe."

Their gazes met, and silence held them captive. She searched his eyes. There was so much she wanted to say, but she had no idea how to say it. Was she being ridiculous for feeling like she missed him already?

Suddenly, James startled. "Oh! I almost forgot—" He reached into his pocket, producing a data chip. "This is for you."

Katie took it carefully. "What is it?"

"A playlist," he replied, smiling shyly. "It's got your favorites on it— some of mine, too. Plus, I put the soundtrack from Killbot Phantasm on there."

Quiznak, why'd he have to pull something like _this_ right now.

Words weren't working, so Katie scooted up in her chair so she could reach his lips with hers. She'd never been good at articulating her feelings, and it turned out that kissing him had become her preferred method of expressing how she felt. It was a lot easier than stumbling over her words or wondering if she accidentally sounded sarcastic.

And besides, she'd been kissing James for just three weeks, now, and she was certain that she'd never get over how good he was at it.

"Thank you," she said when they parted.

"You're welcome." With that, he rose to his feet. Katie tried to not sigh. The atmosphere had never felt so heavy between them.

She turned in her chair to watch him. James had wandered over to the control panel on her right. One of his hands was resting on it, and his eyes were closed.

He'd been doing this a lot lately. It seemed Green had taken even more of a liking to James than they'd expected, often reaching out and connecting with his mind to speak to him. Katie never asked what they talked about— Green wasn't telling her, anyways, so she must have wanted to keep it private.

So she simply watched. It was quiet for a while, all except for the steady thrumming of Green's engines. There was a small rumble, and James' eyes flew open.

"Something interesting?" Katie queried.

Her boyfriend shook his head, laughing. "She's telling me you need to sleep, and that since you apparently aren't listening to her, you'll be more inclined to listen to me."

The Green Paladin glared up at the ceiling. "Tattle tail." A little zap of electricity rose from the chair to strike her fingers, and Katie rolled her eyes. Without any other choice (lest she anger a massive mechanical cat), she got up from the chair and stretched.

"Using you against me," Katie tutted as she walked up to James. She wrapped her arms around his waist, then leaned up on her tip toes, making a point of staring at his lips before she dragged her gaze up to his eyes. "She knows her tactics well."

James leaned down to come nose to nose with her. "Mmm, apparently," he hummed.

Katie felt a flip switch in her. She wondered if he knew what his voice did to her when it went low like that.

A sudden heat filled the air, and Katie didn't take long to contemplate it. She pressed her lips against his, letting him lead her in another one of their now countless kisses of that day. And for that moment, she let the inevitability of tomorrow leave her mind.

He held her flush against his body, allowing her to go weak at the knees when his lips parted and took her bottom lip between them. She reached up and tangled her hand in his locks. He groaned, and her heart skipped a beat.

She didn't want this to end. If she was honest, she was terrified at how much she'd come to rely on James. He'd become her everything so quickly. Before, she'd been independent almost to a fault, ready to face down anything all on her own. But now that she had him, now that she knew she didn't have to face everything alone, she had no idea how to go back to how she'd used to be.

Being with James had meant she wasn't alone. Being with James had meant she always had someone in her corner, always had someone cheering her on, telling her to keep striving forward. Katie had never thought such a force could become such an integral part of her life, but here she was, sighing into his mouth and praying that this was all some nightmare she'd wake up from. They wouldn't have to be separated. They would keep going on dates on the weekends, keep sneaking kisses in her lab when no one was around, keep holding each other on their bad days until they felt better.

Her hand snuck under his shirt before she even realized she'd done it. Her fingers drifted over his scars, and he shuddered under her touch. Fear gripped her. What if he got hurt while she was gone? What if it was worse this time? What if he couldn't be healed again?

When they finally broke apart panting, she wasn't surprised to see that James' eyes were shining with unshed tears. Hers were, too.

The next morning, there was little ceremony for their launch. Katie was grateful for that— mainly because she refused to let go of James' hand until the very last second she had to.

She'd already said goodbye to her parents that morning. Thus, when the Paladins were given the final go-ahead to board their lions, she didn't look back. She just tugged on James' hand to follow.

The couple made their way to Green in silence, both entirely wrapped in their own thoughts.

 _"Hey!"_

They halted. Lance was standing at the foot of Red's ramp. He raised two fingers to his eyes, pointed them at James, then back to himself.

Katie rolled her eyes and kept walking, dragging James behind her. They made their way up the ramp, then turned the corner to head toward the cockpit. The second they were out of sight, James wasted no time capturing her lips with his.

She'd found that the more practice they got, the more passionate he became, often leaving her breathless with even the shortest of kisses. But this wasn't one of those— this was slow and firm, like he was trying to drink in every last bit of her essence before they had to part.

Katie melted into him, squeezing her eyes shut tight and losing herself in the sensations of the man who held her heart. She'd always hated goodbyes, but with one like this— his hands gripping her waist and his hot breath passing between them— it was hard to be upset. All she wished was that it lasted longer.

He made to move away, but she pulled him back in. His hands left her waist to cup her face. James slanted his lips against hers, and she sighed, clutching his uniform tighter.

Her heart felt like it was about to burst. She poured all the love she could into him, hoping that it was enough. Then slowly, an electric tingle began to run through her veins. It reached down her arm and stopped at her wrist, flooding into the Olkari gem. A pulse of energy dispersed from her fingertips where they rested on James' chest.

She only realized what she'd done when James gasped, breaking their kiss. Her eyes opened to see a flash of blue light just before it disappeared.

"Well that was…new," he panted. James licked his lips before he looked at her. "Did you mean to do that?"

Her face was burning. "I-I don't know," she admitted. Theories began to spin around in her head, but suddenly, she felt the energy return to her, only this time, it felt…different.

She closed her eyes to focus on it. It was familiar, warm and strong, and it— wait, was that the scent of pine and musk floating through her memory?

Katie's eyes flashed open. "I think it was a quintessence transfer. I can sense you," she realized before peering up at him curiously. "How do you feel?"

A familiar spark entered James' eyes. "Like I want to kiss you again."

Well who was she to deny him that?

When the pair finally untangled themselves a minute later, they were breathless all over again. Whatever the quintessence transfer had done, Katie felt like she'd never been more aware of James' overwhelming comforting presence in her life. Everything he did sparked something in her, just like how now he was gazing deeply into her eyes.

"I'll see you soon," he whispered. He took her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. "It'll fly by, and we'll be back together before we know it."

Katie nodded. "Eight o'clock?"

"Eight o'clock every night," James promised. "And I'll message you if I'm going to be late."

She nodded again. This was it. This was goodbye for now.

Slowly, she leaned up and pecked him on the lips, lingering a little longer than she'd intended to.

Her heels touched back down, and James set his forehead against hers. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she murmured.

They stayed in the peaceful silence for a moment more. Then, James moved back, a proud grin settled on his lips. "Go show the universe who Katie Holt is."

Smiling, Katie winked. "I plan on it."

James left before they could get lost in each other again, and Katie waved at him until the ramp shut. The moment it closed, she took in a deep breath. The clock to get back was already counting down.

She made her way up to the cockpit and sat down in her pilot's chair. The dashboard lit up in front of her. "Ready for some fun, Green?"

Her lion rumbled in agreement.

A couple seconds later, Lance appeared on her screen to the right, his eyes narrow in suspicion. "Have fun making google-y eyes at Captain Griff Griff, Pidge?"

Katie couldn't help the smirk that slid onto her lips. "If I say yes, will you shut up?"

Hunk's face popped up on her left. "Ugh, can you guys please not? I do _not_ want to think about Pidge like that— she's like my sister."

"I second that," Keith sounded through the comms.

"Well I, for one, would love an update on their relationship," Allura commented. "Have you two begun to dance horizontally, yet? I think that's the term I heard in the movie Rizavi had us watch the other quintent."

"Nope! Nope! We are **not** talking about that!" Lance yelped.

Katie just cracked up laughing in her chair. She took ahold of the controls and grinned. "Come on, let's go on an adventure, girl."

Green growled happily, and then, they took off.

* * *

"You look beautiful."

Katie looked away from the mirror to face the direction the voice had come from. "Thanks, sweetheart," she replied, the endearment slipping off her tongue easily. She'd never thought she would be one for pet names, but after testing out several, sweetheart had been the one she'd decided upon. And besides, it described him perfectly.

James' eyes shimmered through the screen. "So, first formal event already, hm?"

"A royal gala," Katie confirmed, sticking her tongue out. "I've been trying to get ready for an hour now, but I kept forgetting where I put my favorite hair pin."

"Top drawer on the left," her boyfriend reminded her.

She rolled her eyes. "Honestly, you should've left me with a map of where you put everything. How'd your day go?"

James gave a dramatic sigh, setting his chin in his hand. "Dragged by without you here."

Katie snickered. "It's been less than twenty four hours! I just saw you this morning!"

"Still," he shrugged. "It was pretty boring. Ran some standard flight drills, nothing special. Rizavi accidentally let loose one of her EMP projectiles again."

"Doesn't she know it's the button on the—"

"Right, not left? Yeah, I keep telling her that."

Grinning, Katie reached for her necklace. She took her time fiddling with the clasp before it finally snapped together. She shifted the necklace around so it faced correctly.

"Well, guess that's it," she sighed. "I gotta get going. Wish you were here."

"I wish I was, too," James said, his eyes softening. "You really do look beautiful, Katie."

Her eyes flickered to glance at his lips before she could help it. "Thank you, James. I love you."

"I love you, too. See you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, see you. Sleep well."

The video feed shut off, and Katie sat back in her chair, sighing. Her eyes drifted down to stare at her dress. It was green, of course. She was the Green Paladin after all. James had suggested she petition to wear her actual favorite color, purple, but she'd dismissed the idea, knowing that it would've probably confused everyone. Now, she wished she'd listened to him, if only so she could feel like she had a piece of him with her.

Then again, she decided as she stood up, listening to the clink of his dog tags in a pocket of her skirt…she always had part of him with her these days.

When she exited Green, her fellow Paladins were waiting for her.

"Took your sweet time talking with Griffy-boy, didn't you?" Lance questioned.

Katie rolled her eyes. "Took your sweet time gelling your hair, didn't you?" she jabbed back, pointedly staring at his slicked back hair.

"Hey now, I think it looks great!" Lance defended. He swiped a hand through his hair to make a point, and the gang rolled their eyes fondly.

"Come on, team," Shiro chuckled. "Let's get going."

The Paladins followed after him in an orderly fashion, making their way out of the courtyard the planet's royals had so kindly offered as a landing pad for the lions. They passed under several arches, though a couple tunnels, then finally found themselves at the front gates of the palace.

The gates opened, and immediately, Katie wanted to cover her ears.

There was screaming coming from every alien gathered around the processional aisle. They were a mix of colors and shapes— some tall, some short, some purple, others a combination of red and yellow. What all of them did have in common was a singular antenna that went up from their head, glowing brightly at the top. From what Katie could recall, the color the antenna took would signify what the alien was feeling. She spotted a lot of golden yellow, and she assumed that must have meant excitement.

"My ears are gonna fall off," Keith muttered to her right. Katie had to hold down her laughter when Shiro shot him a reprimanding look.

The Paladins followed the predetermined path set before them, which consisted of a blue carpet that lead to the thrones at the head of the ballroom. They stopped in front of the thrones in sync, then bowed their heads respectfully.

"King Tarir, Queen Sunessa, Prince Janlem," Shiro greeted. "Thank you for hosting us at your palace this evening."

The king stood from his throne. His antenna wobbled forward in what Katie guessed was a sign of cordiality. "The honor is ours, Paladin Shiro," the king replied. "I only wish you could stay with us longer than one nox."

Shiro smiled. "Believe me when I say I wish we could, too. You have been incredibly hospitable to us, and it is greatly appreciated."

King Tarir's eyes shifted to the right— his gaze landed on Prince Janlem. "Know that you are welcome anytime, Paladins of Voltron," the king said when his eyes had drifted back to them. "If I may, my son wished to speak to one of your Paladins about a matter of great importance."

Katie's eyebrows went up. Well that sounded weird.

But Shiro nodded politely. They'd been informed of the variety of customs on each of the planets they'd be visiting— it would most likely be a gift or spoken affirmation of their allegiance to the Voltron Coalition.

The king sat down, and Prince Janlem promptly rose. He cleared his throat, then tilted his chin up. "Paladins of Voltron," he began, his voice reverberating through the ballroom, "We the Jultii's have a tradition amongst our royal blood. A formal ritual, if you will, of securing and strengthening our ties with our allies. It is our view that any and all trusts must be formed on a foundation of true affection. Thus, as the crown prince of Jultii, it is only right that I offer my hand to one that has captured my favor."

Katie felt a grin forming on her face. Oh no, was Allura about to get propositioned? This would make a great story to tell James tomorrow night.

But then, Prince Janlem's eyes went to her, Katie Holt. She froze.

"Paladin of the Green Lion," the prince stated, "The tales of your bravery have entranced my ears for many a solus cycle, and to see you now standing before me makes me wonder why I had only heard of your great intellect and skill, rather than your radiant beauty."

Katie's mind barely registered what was happening as the prince began to walk toward her. Her entire body felt numb, and her mind had come to a grinding halt.

"Thus, Green Paladin," he continued as he approached, "It would do me great honor to have your hand in the eternal bond of one-ness."

The eternal what of what-ness? What was he saying? What was going on? Was this actually happening?

Prince Janlem was less than a yard away now, and Katie was still frozen. His piercing black eyes were cutting through her. Her mouth opened to say something, but what it was she had no idea—

Then an arm stretched out in front of her.

"Such proposals aren't common on Earth and will not be accepted as a part of our negotiations on your status in the Voltron Coalition," Shiro stated calmly. Katie's ears picked up the edge in his voice. "We will not entertain such an option."

The prince had stopped, and he now met Shiro's eyes with undisguised anger. "I see."

The tension was thick in the air, and Katie half wondered if Shiro was about to turn and have them follow him out.

But then, Allura stepped forward. "We thank you for this generous offer, your highness," she said, putting on a graceful smile. "I believe this shows how much our cultures have to learn about one another. How about we discuss it over tonight's meal? I smelled something wonderful on the way in."

King Tarir nodded slowly. "Very well. Let us proceed to the east wing of the palace."

Hunk had to nudge her for her to start moving, and for the rest of the night, Katie stayed in a similar dazed state. She vaguely noted how one of her fellow Paladins was always at her side, never leaving her alone for a second. She'd have to thank them for that later— she'd felt Prince Janlem's eyes on her all during dinner.

All she wanted was for this night to be over already. It was their first stop, and things already seemed to be a train wreck.

Her heart wrenched. She needed James.

* * *

"Well, glad to know you'd choose me over an alien," her boyfriend joked. He rubbed his eyes blearily, and Katie glanced up at the clock. It was just past two am for him. She hated waking him, but she hadn't been able to sleep. Prince Janlem's eyes on her all night had made her feel sick to her stomach.

Katie idly played with the dog tags around her neck. "Yeah, guess we kinda have to figure out when to announce our relationship to literally the entire universe," she sighed, then rubbed her temples. "This is already stressing me out. I _need_ you here, James."

He smiled softly. Her eyes told him he felt the exact same. "We'll tell people when we're ready, Katie," he said. "For now, there's no rush. And after tonight, I'm sure the rest of your team will make sure something like that doesn't happen again."

"Funny thing is, I didn't think it was going to happen to me," Katie muttered, her eyes darting down. "I thought for sure he was talking about Allura."

"…Katie, are you comparing yourself again?"

She shrugged. "You know how I am. Sometimes I just feel like I don't measure up compared to other women."

"Katie, look at me."

She lifted her eyes.

James was gazing at her gently, affection clear as day in his brown eyes. "I know you're beautiful. There is no comparison. You are wonderful just the way you are."

Katie shook her head. "You're biased."

"Perhaps," he smiled. "But, you're not beautiful just because I say you are. The sky isn't blue because someone says it is, it just is."

Her heart swelled a little, and she blushed. "Thank you," she whispered. "Sorry for getting all insecure on you, there."

"It's okay, honey," he chuckled warmly.

Her heart skipped a beat at the nickname. That was a first.

"Besides, you think I'm the first guy to do a double take when I saw you for the first time?"

Katie blinked. "Wait, did that actually happen?"

James laughed bashfully, "Yeah, it did. Guess I'll have to tell you the story one of these days." Suddenly, he yawned, and Katie looked at the clock again. She needed to let him go back to sleep.

"I'll let you go, now. You're the best, James," she said. "And…thanks for not being jealous."

"Me?" James winked. "I'm still too busy daydreaming about our last kiss to be jealous."

Katie's heart squeezed. Why did that feel like ages ago instead of just this morning?

"Quiznak, I miss you," she whispered.

"I miss you, too," he murmured. "You'll get through it, Katie. I know you will. You've gotten through worse before."

She considered it for a moment. "True…but back then I didn't know what it was like to have you."

"And the same goes for me," James said. She tried to ignore how bittersweet his smile was.

"Okay. Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight, honey."

The screen shut off, and her room was plunged into darkness. Katie fell back on her bed. A little smile crept its way onto her face. Honey, hm? She'd have to ask when he'd decided on that one.

She sighed happily and curled up into her covers, hugging her pillow to her chest.

One day down, thirty three to go.

And until then, she'd just have to replay their last kiss in her head a million times over.

* * *

 **Am I mean for separating them? Maybe. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm not saying that listening to Captain Jack's Theme theme from Torchwood makes James even hotter in this scene…but it does. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Rizavi, do you copy?"

"Loud and clear, boss."

"Kinkade?"

"Rooftop."

"Leifsdottir?"

"On your third."

James Griffin let out a steadying breath, tightening his grip on his sniper and peering through the scope. "She's doing well so far. Watch for her signal. When she gives it, go to your designated areas."

"Ten-four."

"Copy."

"Gotcha."

The night fell quiet, all except for the cars on the street below. James watched the Midoriyan princess carefully. The glare of the window, caused by the city lights surrounding them, obstructed his view only slightly. He zoomed his scope in to have a better visual.

"Seems like everything's going okay," Rizavi commed from her position in the abandoned building to Griffin's left. "Still can't believe we have to do this. Why would people want an assassination right after a war just ended?"

"Humans have done similar things in our own history," Kinkade's voice crackled over, his tone grave.

James nodded to himself, humming in acknowledgment. "It's our job to make sure history doesn't repeat itself. Protecting the princess will ensure that the Coalition doesn't—"

"There's shadow movement above the princess' room. Third floor."

Leifsdottir's voice made the MFE's commander's attention snap back to the room, his mind instinctively running through the details of their mission for the millionth time that day.

Step one: protect the princess of Midoriya.

Step two: get her to safety aboard her own ship.

It seemed simple enough, but James knew better. They'd been informed of what they were up against.

Apparently the princess' father had sided with the Galra decades ago in an attempt to save his people. Even though the Midoriyan king had eventually paid for his decision with his life, several Coalition members had been incensed upon hearing that his daughter had reached out to join their cause.

Her first visit to Earth had only begun a few days ago, but it wasn't long before they were being called in to get her out. Anonymous death threats had been pouring in ever since her arrival. It seemed the old tensions between Midoriya and the other Coalition planets were still quite alive.

As he gazed through the window of the high security embassy, James had to agree with Rizavi— the fact that they'd been called in for such a task was a disgrace. The war was supposed to be over, wasn't it? Hadn't they all embraced this new era of peace? Then again, he supposed that some people just couldn't let go of a grudge. Some wounds never fully healed, even with time.

If he was honest, it broke his heart. After all they'd been through, James had looked forward to a life of relative calm. He figured he deserved it after everything he'd lost, but maybe that was selfish. After all, the cost of freedom was always high, and he had chosen to be one of those called upon to pay it.

The reflection of his scars in the mirror that morning flickered through his mind, followed quickly by a pair of beautiful honey eyes and soft pink lips.

James shook his head. Now wasn't the time.

Zooming in closely, he could see now that the alien princess was looking around her room with wide purple eyes, her hands frozen above her bag.

"I think I heard something," she whispered over the comm.

"Keep packing, act like you don't suspect anything," James instructed calmly. "We have you in our sights. You are completely safe."

He saw the princess give a fearful nod before he cut off the link. He watched her for a moment, noting that she did just as he said. By the looks of it, she was almost done packing. One eye on her, James opened up a second line with his squadron.

"Get ready," he grunted, gripping his rifle tighter. "Something's not right."

"Heat signatures above are moving toward the stairs," Leifsdottir informed. "Eight total."

"Great," Rizavi hissed. "Griff, what's our play?"

"Stay where you are," he said. "We move when they do. They don't know we're here— we can't lose the element of surprise."

Rizavi was quick to push back, "But if they get in the door and shoot her right there, we've failed. They aren't going to hold back."

She was right, and James hated it. Why did everything have to get so political? There should've been an easier, more diplomatic way to solve this— a solution other than the murder of a young woman who had done nothing wrong other than being born to a cowardly father.

He sighed. He couldn't sit here and contemplate his anger over the situation. They had to move.

"Rizavi, with me," James commanded. "Leifs, get ready to meet us at the drop point. Kinkade, you stay up top. We need eyes above."

"Copy."

"On it."

"Where do we go?"

"To the second floor, east window near the elevators," he responded. "Gun set to stun. We don't want to cause any more trou—"

A loud slam blasted over his line to the princess.

James snapped his attention back. His blood boiled at what he saw.

One of the assassins had kicked the bedroom door down. The Midoriyan princess screamed.

"Move! Now!" James shouted.

He stowed his sniper away and threw a grappling hook. The device landed above the window, and the second the control light turned green, he swung himself onto the line.

The princess was backed against a wall now. She was holding her bag up to her chest like a shield, trembling. A large green alien was saying something. In his hands was a gun, pointed directly at her head. James grit his teeth as he gained velocity. Time to get to work.

He launched himself through the window, shattering the glass to pieces. The alien whipped around— and promptly fell to the ground, stunned.

James grabbed the princess' hand. "We gotta move!"

She stumbled after him, holding her bag tight. James tossed the door open. Before him were the other seven.

"Stay back!" he told her. The princess obeyed, curling up behind him as he fired off shot after shot. But these aliens looked entirely different from the other one— they were wearing armor.

James pushed the button on the side of his helmet. "Riz—!"

"I'm here!" her voice sounded, loud and clear. His eyes flickered down the hallway. She was running toward him. In her hands was a massive energy blaster.

"Take this!" she cried, firing off a round of shots. The aliens yelled when the blasts made contact, and Rizavi pushed her way through the smoke toward James.

He gave her a frustrated glance. "The armor—"

"Yeah, I noticed," she grumbled. The duo shared a devious look. "Hand to hand?"

James grinned, lowering himself into ready position behind her. "Let's get it done."

The pair began to fight their way through, Rizavi aiming for their legs and and James landing the final punch with practiced ease. This wasn't the first time they'd found themselves in a corner like this.

After several minutes, James stepped back and evaluated the situation, panting. Two left.

"Go!"

James spun around, and Rizavi glared at him. "Get her out of here! I got this!"

He nodded. If she said she could handle it, then he would trust her word. James turned and faced the princess, who was hiding behind the doorframe.

"Come on," he insisted. She hesitated, and James groaned. He didn't have time for this, not when her life was at stake.

With no other options left, he grabbed her around her waist and starting running. The princess tripped, but he caught her and kept going. Mistakes were deadly at this point. They had to keep moving.

"Leifs," he commed, "Meet us in the stairs, on the second floor—"

"Can't," she replied. "Kinkade and I have company."

"Crap," he muttered. Looked like the assassins had brought more goons than they'd expected.

James felt his stress levels rising by the second as they wound through the maze of embassy hallways. Everything was already so out of control, and he felt doubt that this mission would succeed begin to crush his chest.

Honey golden eyes flashed through his mind.

James forced the image out. He had to focus. It was do or die time.

They finally got to the first floor, and James pulled the princess around the corner. He dashed to the panel on the wall, then punched in the key code. There was a hiss. Part of the wall drew back.

James looked at the princess expectantly. She was staring at him with wide eyes.

He waved his hand, "In we go, come on."

Though her eyes were filled with fear, the princess scurried in. He hopped in after her. The second he was in, the wall slid back together.

He spun around and took her hand. "Keep moving."

The secret corridor was dark. They moved as quickly and silently as possible, with James ensuring that they took the right turn at each intersection.

"—fin. Griffin, do you copy?"

"I hear you," he grunted. "In the tunnels now. Heading toward the exit."

"Okay," Kinkade replied. "We need to— door— get to the—"

"Shoot," James hissed. The embassy walls were interfering with the signal. Guess that's what they got for choosing to sneak her out through an old bomb shelter.

There was a muffled sob to his left, and James turned toward the source. "Almost there, princess," he promised. "You're getting out of here safe and sound." Her eyes didn't convey any confidence that his statement was true. Honestly, he didn't blame her.

James ground his teeth together and kept running. If his memory served correctly, this should be the final turn. He rounded the corner, his grip on the princess' hand tight. She let out a whimper. He glanced back at her—

A fist to his face sent him sprawling to the ground.

"Officer Griffin!" the princess cried.

He coughed, tasting blood in his mouth. He lifted his eyes and grimaced. So they'd had another thug waiting for them. Perfect.

James whipped his gun out and took aim, but it was too late. The alien had a hand around the princess' throat. In his other hand was a gleaming dagger.

"Try me," his low voice growled as he lifted the knife to her jugular. "I won't hesitate. My people died because of her father's doing. It's time she paid the price."

The MFE Commander's grip on his gun tightened. The princess' eyes were filling with tears. He met her gaze calmly.

"It's going to be okay," he soothed. "I promise."

Her mouth opened to respond, but it shut when the knife pressed into her skin.

"Your choice, human," the alien threatened. "Stop meddling in things you don't know about. Just walk away, and forget this ever happened. It isn't your fight."

A thousand scenarios ran through James' head. He knew he couldn't shoot. With the dagger where it was, even a slip up could kill her.

Then, for the third time that night, _her_ eyes went through his mind. And suddenly, he felt at peace.

Slowly, James lowered his gun. The alien raised an eyebrow. James set the gun on the ground.

The alien grinned. "Good. You're smarter than I thought your species was. Keep walking, human."

James kept his face carefully blank as he obeyed. Turning his back on the princess was hard, especially when he could hear her panicked muffled screams.

"Heh, this is going to be _fun_ ," the alien chuckled darkly.

James' feet continued to move forward.

"Officer Griffin!" the princess shouted. "Officer, please! Help me!"

"He's not helping you now! Get a move on, princess— I know a few guys who want a swipe at you first before I finish you off."

James closed his eyes. One of his fingers drifted down to the gauntlet on his arm. He pushed a button, and his visor lit up green. A crackle of electricity filled the air.

 _Three…two…one…_

Brown eyes flashed open. He whirled around and aimed the spade. He fired.

The electrodes hit their target. The alien let out a roar, then fell to the ground, black smoke rising from his body.

James breathed a sigh of relief. The princess clambered back, shaking as strangled sobs escaped her throat.

He ran up to her and made to grab her hand. "Come on, we gotta go—"

She shook her head, frozen. Terrified purple eyes stared up at him, and he felt his heart break a little.

As gently as he could, he coaxed her away from the alien, maneuvering them so that he blocked her view of the body. The princess' breaths were growing shallow and quick. Her focus went in and out, almost as though she was starting to lose her grip on reality.

"Hey," he said, snapping in her face. Wide eyes flickered back to his. James set his hands on her shoulders. He gripped them tight, forcing her to keep her eyes on him.

"It's almost over," he assured her. "You're going to be safe soon— it's my job to ensure that. But I can't do my job if you won't move. I know you're scared, but you _have_ to get the courage to keep going. Your people need you."

The princess' eyes shimmered with tears. "B-But he just— and you— you left—"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, I know that must have scared you. But I promise I _will_ protect you, and you _will_ get out of this alive. You have to trust me."

Her lip trembled, and James briefly considered just picking her up and carrying her out. There were probably more assassins on their way down, assuming his team hadn't already taken care of the rest of them.

But thankfully, the princess finally gave a tiny nod.

James let out a breath and pulled her toward the exit.

They were twenty meters away when his comm finally came back to life.

"Griffin!" Rizavi called. "We're ready at the drop point!"

He grunted. "Good. Got the cars?"

"We have both," Leifsdottir intoned.

James nodded. "Kinkade?"

"Right above the exit on the second story," the sniper replied. "They won't lay a finger on you guys."

The princess and the commander came to a halt at the door. The lights of the city night seeped out from under it.

"Ready?" James checked.

"Ready," his team responded in unison.

Brown eyes flickered to purple. The princess nodded.

James kicked the door open.

The city opened up before them, but before James could get caught up in the scene, two heavily armored Garrison cars came squealing around the corner.

Rizavi screeched to a stop in front of them. The door slid open, and she yelled, "Hop in! Hurry!"

No time to waste, James practically picked the princess up and threw her into the backseat. He slammed the door shut behind him, and Rizavi kicked it into overdrive.

James sat up in his chair, groaning. "Kinkade—"

"Leifsdottir's getting him," Rizavi answered. "Messaging Iverson now to let him know we're on our way to the ship."

James turned around and looked through the back window. Kinkade had just landed on top of the car. The sniper looked up, gave a salute, then climbed in.

The MFE commander fell back against the seats and sighed. Now for the easy part.

He began to close his eyes, but a squeak next to him stopped him from doing so. He eyed the princess and held back a groan. Right, he still needed to act professional.

James straightened up in his chair. He shifted to face the princess, who honestly, still looked as frightened as she did when she was at knifepoint.

"Hey," he said gently, "You did well. I'm sorry for what happened back there, but I hope you understand why I had to do that. I couldn't risk him killing you if I took the shot."

The princess nodded shakily. "I-I understand, Officer." Then, a blue blush spread across her face. "A monarch should have been stronger, though. I acted like a child."

James shrugged. "We have a saying here on Earth— you're only human. So, in your case, you're only Midoriyan." She looked confused, and he cleared his throat. "What I mean is, anyone would be scared in the situation you were in. I just hope this hasn't changed your mind about joining with the Coalition. We'll work on easing the tensions between your planet and the others until you return, I can promise you that."

She registered what he said slowly, her eyes turning to look down at her lap. "Had it not been for your kindness, I am sure that this experience would have caused me to abandon the Coalition entirely."

There was a click of a tongue, and James looked up. Rizavi was sending him a look through the rearview mirror, one that he couldn't interpret. After a moment, he turned back to the princess and gave her a cordial nod. He wasn't entirely sure what else there was to be said after such a traumatic night. She probably needed time to process what happened.

The rest of the journey was spent in silence, other than the occasional chatter on the radio. And finally, for the first time that day, James allowed the image of Katie to fully enter the front of his mind.

He held in a wistful sigh. He missed her more than words could say. He hated forcing himself to not think about her, but every time he did, it just made things worse, especially when he was on mission and needed to be completely focused. He was the MFE commander— he couldn't let his mind wander. He had to be in charge and in control at all times.

But then Katie would sneak into his mind, and James found himself wishing that he didn't have to be any of those things.

After a few more seconds of letting himself long for his girlfriend, James snapped himself back into commander mode. Their mission wasn't done yet.

They arrived at the meet up point a few minutes later. The Midoriyan royal ship stood high before them. Garrison security surrounded the tarmac.

James glanced at the princess, half expecting to see her eyes wide with fear again. But instead, they were narrow, burning with determination. He grinned. At least he wouldn't have to drag her around again.

Rizavi came to a stop in front of the ship's entrance, and James hopped out, offering the princess a hand. She took it, and once given the go ahead, he began to escort her toward the ship.

They stopped just inside the door. James stood back and gave her a brief nod. "Have a safe journey home, princess," he said. "Do let us know if you and your people need anything while you consider your Coalition standing. We want to make this work, for the better of the universe."

The princess' eyes flickered to the ground. "I will. Regardless of what we choose, I…I would not mind coming to Earth again, should it mean I could see you once more, Officer Griffin."

Oh. James suddenly understood that look Rizavi had given him back in the car.

The princess wrung her hands awkwardly, not quite meeting his eyes as her face flushed bright blue for the second time that night. James racked his mind for what to say. The words "I'm taken" came to his lips, but he paused. Diplomacy. He needed to handle this as delicately and as clearly as possible to avoid misunderstanding.

"I am already promised to someone else," he finally replied. The second the words slipped out, he felt a blush of his own rising. _Promised_ …that word was a little more set in stone than he had intended. Then again, James knew his heart could never belong to another, not after Katie had showed him what love truly meant.

James noted the disappointed look in the princess' eyes before she nodded. "She must be lucky."

He couldn't hold back a bashful laugh, "I think I'm the lucky one, actually."

The Midoriyan princess appraised him for a moment. "No, it's her," she stated decidedly. Then, she took a step back, inclining her head. "Thank you, Officer. I will forever be grateful for your service to me."

James returned the sign of respect. "Stay safe, princess."

And with that, he turned and walked away, just barely holding in a sigh of relief. Well _that_ had been uncomfortable.

The moment he slid into the seat beside her, Rizavi gave him a knowing look. "She came onto you, didn't she?"

James rolled his eyes. "You have a way of making it sound so much worse than it actually was."

Rizavi snickered and punched the car into gear. "She take it okay?"

"I think so," James shrugged. "I _hope_ so. The last thing we need is a universal political crisis because I turned down a princess."

"I can see the headlines now," Rizavi joked. James threw a light punch at her shoulder, but she just smiled even bigger.

* * *

James' heart was racing when they finally arrived back at the Garrison. He'd told Katie he'd be late for their video chat, but it was already an hour past when he'd promised. His stomach was twisting into all sorts of knots, anxious to go see her, even though he'd talked with her just twenty four hours ago.

But even though his resolve was crumbling by the minute, James made himself march up to the lineup of commanders with his squadron. He raised his hand in salute.

"The Midoriyan princess is safely aboard her ship, sir," he stated. "They launched ten minutes after we left and are currently passing Jupiter. Her crew says they will continue to provide updates until they land."

Iverson nodded. "Good job, MFE's. Make your way to room two-oh-five for the wrap up. I'll see you in a couple minutes."

Internally, James groaned. This was the worst possible time for them to have a post-mission debrief. Couldn't they do this in the morning?

He pushed aside his mutinous thoughts and gave his team a look. "Let's go."

They nodded and began to head toward the door. As they did, James mentally sent a silent apology to Katie for being so late. He hoped she'd wait up for him.

"Officer Griffin."

James came to a complete stop at the sound of the familiar voice. "Yes, sir?"

Commander Holt was walking toward him, a knowing grin on his face. "You're late," he observed.

James grimaced. "I know, sir."

The commander hummed thoughtfully. "Colleen and I just got off the line with Katie, and she's not going to stay up much longer. Go— I'll give you a rundown of what you missed tomorrow."

James' eyes widened. "T-Thank you, sir!"

"You're welcome, officer," Commander Holt chuckled. "Now get a move on. She needs her rest."

With another hasty thank you, James took off running. As soon as he arrived at his room, James tossed his helmet aside and grabbed the communicator. He plopped down on his bed, set the communicator up on its stand, and pushed the call button.

It only took a few seconds before his girlfriend's beautiful face appeared on the screen.

"Hi," he greeted breathlessly.

"Hi," she giggled, sitting back in her pilot's chair. "Did you run to get here?" James nodded, and she laughed once more. "You poor thing. How was the mission?"

"Fine," he replied vaguely. "I used your upgrade! I'm glad you put it on before you left. It wound up being a literal life saver."

Katie raised a suspicious eyebrow. "…you're not telling me something."

James rolled his eyes at his own stupidity. He should've known better than trying to get past it so quickly. Katie knew him better than anyone. It wasn't even that he was afraid to tell her— she wasn't the jealous type. He just felt so awkward about it.

The MFE commander sighed. "Well, the princess might have kind of… _inquired about_ my relationship status."

"Hm, apparently we're both trouble magnets, then," Katie teased. "What is it with us and royal proposals lately?"

"It wasn't like _that_ , but it was still weird," he admitted.

His girlfriend made a face. "Boo, you got off easy."

James chuckled. "Thankfully. I guess—" he hesitated. He wondered if it was the right time to ask, but he almost couldn't help it. Not after he'd so boldly claimed her tonight.

"I guess you still want to hold off on announcing our relationship?" he asked.

Katie sighed. "Yeah, it's for the best. I talked it over with Shiro and Keith— even Matt stopped by to address it. They don't want the announcement to accidentally mess up any of the politics or cultural norms or stuff like that during the tour."

He nodded understandingly, trying to make sure he didn't look too disappointed. It wasn't that he doubted Katie's love— far from it. He just wanted everyone to know that she was his, and vice versa. The memory of her telling him about the incident with Prince Janlem still made his heart twist. He couldn't deny the jealousy that had flooded him, but he knew it was for nothing. Even if the entire universe didn't know yet, they still belonged to each other, and nothing was going to change that.

Katie was giving him a sympathetic smile, almost as though she'd read all of his thoughts. "Anyways, how was your day?"

"Just mission prep," James shrugged. "Tell me about yours, I'm sure it was much more interesting."

Golden eyes glittered in confirmation. "We stopped at a planet called Ossinan, and the tech there was amazing! They actually gave me and Hunk a tour, which was super awesome! Their labs are huge, and they have this really fascinating thing called tolnir, which connects with their life forces and—"

James sat back and happily listened to his girlfriend chatter on and on and on. She was smiling brightly as she described the intricacies of the tech he would never understand, and seeing her so excited and full of energy made his heart tug a little.

Their video chats every night were honestly the only thing that kept him going these past two weeks. He'd been trudging through each day, constantly longing for the night so he could see her again, hear her voice, watch her eyes sparkle. He missed her so much that it hurt, but talking with her would always soothe the pain just enough to make it through the next day.

His team had noticed his lack of spirits, but they chose to not say anything, deciding instead to keep him as busy as possible, whether it was with training or watching movies at night. And while spending more time with his squadron— his very closest friends— had been fun, his mind always drifted back to Katie, wishing she was there with him, snuggled up into his side.

She was still rambling on, unaware of the ache in James' heart. He'd tried for so long now to not tell her how much he missed her. He didn't want to be a burden or make her worry. But then, his mouth was opening of its own accord.

"—but then it connects with the nodes on their fingers, which was crazy to watch, and—"

"Katie?"

His girlfriend blinked. "Yeah?"

James looked down at his lap shyly. "Sorry, I just…I wanted to say that I really miss you," he whispered. "A lot. And— and I don't know, I just feel this hole in my heart without you here. I don't know how to explain it. I'm sorry for interrupting, but I had to say it."

He dared to look up, and he found honey eyes staring at him sadly. "Oh James—"

There was a bang. "Is Captain Griff Griff there?!"

Immediately, Katie whipped her head around and said, "What are you guys doing here? I told you I was going to be talking with James!"

All of the paladins, plus Captain Shiro, came into view. They filled up the cabin of the Green lion, some looking more suspicious than others.

"We just wanted to say hi!" Hunk claimed far too innocently.

Lance nodded. "Yeah! And make sure Mr. Griffy-boy over there isn't seeing anyone while we're gone," he clarified, narrowing his eyes. "Rizavi just messaged me about what happened with the princess. You sticking true to your promise, fancy hair?"

James resisted the urge to roll his eyes. For some reason, Lance was always the worst of the paladins to deal with when it came to his relationship with Katie. All the others were supportive, if not nosy at times. Lance seemed like he was constantly on alert for something to go wrong.

"Guys!" Katie was groaning. She covered her face with her hands. "Get out!"

The MFE commander chuckled, then finally answered Lance's accusation, "Please, no one could even begin to compare to Katie. She's the only girl for me."

He noticed a red blush beginning to spread over Katie's face, and he made sure to get the focus off her by saying, "Make sure you all take care of her, alright? She has a habit of staying up until three am."

Katie gave him a half-glare through the screen, but her team nodded. "We will," Captain Shiro promised.

Keith shook his head. "Anyways, if nothing really did happen with the princess like Lance was saying—"

"HEY!"

The black paladin gave his right hand man a stern look. "—then we'll be on our way. Don't stay up too late, Pidge, okay? We have a meeting at oh-eight-hundred hours."

She nodded, and to her apparent great relief, her fellow paladins finally filed out of the cabin. The door shut behind them, and she gave him a dry look. "I swear the sole point of their existence is to make my life miserable," she joked.

James chuckled, "Lance does seem to have it out for me at times."

Katie rolled her eyes. "Ignore him, he's being ridiculous like always." There was a beat, and suddenly, her expression turned serious. "Back to what you were saying before, though…I miss you too, you know? I can't get you out of my head. I keep imagining how it would be if you were here with me."

The cold weight that had settled in his chest lifted. She was smiling at him bashfully, and his heart swelled. "I love you, Katie."

His girlfriend's shoulders relaxed, and her eyes softened. "I love you, too, James. We're halfway there. I'll be back before you know it."

"Promise?"

"Promise," she confirmed.

James let out a shaky breath. "Okay."

She watched him for a moment. A little frown settled on her lips, followed by a longing look in her eyes. "I miss you," she whispered again. "I…I miss everything about you."

Something stirred inside him. "I want to kiss you," he admitted, his voice dropping lower than before. "I keep dreaming about it, and it's driving me crazy."

"Me too," Katie sighed.

The couple sat in silence, both of them gazing at each other hopelessly. Guess that's what they got for being so head over heels for each other.

Finally, James tore his eyes away from her to look at the clock. She needed to go to bed if she was going to get enough rest before the meeting tomorrow.

"Go take care of yourself, okay?" he asked. He wished his tone hadn't come across so pleading. "Sleep well, Katie."

She swallowed hard. Were those tears in her eyes, or was it just the lighting?

"You too, James," she replied softly.

After a few more seconds of wistful staring, James forced himself to press the disconnect button. The screen went black, and he sighed.

It didn't take long for him to get ready for bed. By the time he was climbing under the covers, James' eyes were having a hard time staying open.

As he'd grown accustomed to doing the past couple of weeks, James took his pillow in his arms and hugged it tight. It was pathetic, he knew, but he didn't care. He had every right to be as pathetic as he wanted while his Katie was gone.

James inhaled deeply, the faint scent of her perfume meeting his nose and filling his heart with warmth. He'd thought he'd sprayed enough of her perfume before she left, but the scent of vanilla and honeysuckle was already beginning to fade.

His heart ached. He needed her back.

James Griffin closed his eyes, praying that another dream of her would ease the pain.

* * *

 **They shall be reunited soon, don't worry! Please leave a review!**

 **Also, if you happen to like My Hero Academia, I wrote a Bakugo x Ochako two shot the other day. Go check it out!**


	10. Chapter 10

**The longest and (in my opinion) the best chapter yet. Enjoy!**

* * *

"-but that would mean cutting off the supply routes to non-Coalition planets," Shiro pointed out.

"Perhaps," the thin diplomat shrugged. "It was highly suggested by our counsel, given the history of violence on those planets. We will await your response to this proposal."

The former black paladin shared a look with his team. "Thank you, Sir Poltnar. Is there anything else the counsel has discussed that you would like to address?"

The alien's purple lips pursed, but given that they'd been that way for most of their visit, Katie couldn't figure out if that was a bad thing or if it was just how their species looked.

"I do not believe there is anything left to speak of, except for our gratitude toward your visit," Poltnar stated.

Allura nodded. "You are more than welcome. I am glad we were able to fit your planet in at the end of our journey— your people have been most hospitable."

There was an air of finality in her tone, and Katie tossed Hunk a questioning look. Were they really done? They had expected this meeting to last at least all day, but here they were only two hours in being told that all was complete.

Katie's heart skipped a beat. They could go _home_.

Brown eyes and a shy smile passed through her head, and she nearly bolted up from her chair right then.

But she maintained control, standing up slowly and going through the farewell rituals Matt had told them about. The Paladins filed out in sync, and the second they left the alien legislature building, Katie's feet began walking faster of their own accord.

"Someone's excited," Shiro teased.

She just started running. "Come on! Let's go!"

There was laughter behind her. Katie didn't hear it. All she wanted to hear was his smooth voice, his deep chuckle, his blissful sighs when they kissed. She wanted her James. And she could finally go back to him.

Katie didn't wait for Shiro to give instructions— she just ran to the cabin and plopped in the pilot's chair. "Ready, girl?"

Green gave a hum. _Your joy…are we returning to my Paladin's James?_

A blush rushed to her cheeks. Her lion knew her a little too well. An amused rumble went through Green, and Katie rolled her eyes.

"Come on," the Paladin laughed, "Let's just go home."

Katie took off without another glance back, knowing that her friends would follow soon. Once out of Trillin's atmosphere, she set the course and sat back, letting Green take her to their destination.

The young woman leaned her head back against the headrest and sighed. Her fingers fiddled with the silver tags around her neck, idly tracing the engraving as she had taken to doing the past month. Tears began to spring up in the corners of her eyes, and she closed them.

Only eight hours to go, and she'd be back with him.

Katie indulged herself in a daydream. She wondered how they would greet each other. Would they run? Embrace? Kiss? She wanted _all_ of it, even though she knew that they'd have to have more discretion. Who know who all would be present at the Paladin's landing.

Her heart twisted familiarly, but she pushed the feeling aside. Soon the pain in her chest would be over. Soon she'd have James again.

 _Rest, My Paladin,_ Green purred. _I will awaken you._

A sudden wave of exhaustion hit Katie, and she found herself nodding. She gave the controls a gentle pat, then made her way back to her room. She barely remembered getting to the room before she collapsed on the bed and fell asleep.

* * *

A little zap in the back of her brain was what brought her out of her sleep. Katie rolled over in the twisted up sheets, groaning.

 _We have entered your home galaxy, My Paladin,_ Green informed her.

Katie sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Thanks."

When she managed to stand a minute later, her half-awake gaze traveled toward the mirror. Immediately, she felt self conscious. Her hair had become a frizzy mess during her extended nap, and she looked far from how she wanted to when she saw her boyfriend for the first time in over a month.

"Quiznak, I need to get myself together," she muttered. If Green was right about their location (which of course her smart girl was), then Katie had about twenty minutes to look presentable.

She took full advantage of every second, taming her hair and scrubbing her teeth as much as humanly possible. When she was done, she took in her reflection with a contemplative frown. Her hair had grown longer over the journey, almost down to her shoulders. Sure, she hadn't worn it short since the war was over, but she couldn't help but wonder if James would like it this way.

A tingle of anxiety wound its way around her heart. What if…what if things were different? What if things between them had changed?

Katie clutched the dog tags tight, shaking away the negative thoughts. James had promised her that everything would be fine. And sure, she'd noticed how strained his smiles had been the past couple of nights, but…but all that would be gone when they were reunited, right?

At least that's what she hoped.

After one final hair check, Katie made her way back up to the main cabin. The second she entered and saw the view out the window, she felt her heart squeeze.

 _Earth._ It was in their sights.

Katie sat down in the pilot's chair. She held onto the controls and guided Green down, practically bouncing with excitement as they broke through the atmosphere. A few minutes later, the Garrison was on the horizon. Katie gripped the handles.

"We're home, girl," she whispered. A feeling of warmth passed through her mind. It seemed Green was happy their mission was over, too.

As expected when she arrived, Katie was the first lion to land. Green's paws touched down on the tarmac, and as soon as Katie felt the hydraulics relax into Green's natural sitting stance, she threw her helmet to the side and ran.

Green had already lowered the walkway for her. Katie nearly stumbled off, her eyes wide as she searched the crowd.

"Katie!"

The Paladin whipped around, immediately feeling guilty when her excitement dipped.

Her parents were approaching her, arms wide open. "I'm so glad you're back!" her mother said as she embraced her. "Things just haven't been the same around here without you, sweetie."

Katie's father chuckled before he wrapped them both in a hug. "She's not wrong about that— the science division doesn't seem to be nearly as motivated without you around."

Katie heard what they were saying, but none of it quite registered. After a few moments, she stepped back from the hug and looked around.

"Where— where is he?"

Her parents traded a look. Katie's heart throbbed when her father sighed.

"I don't know, Katie," he admitted. "I'm sorry. I could go check the schedule if you want—"

"No, it's—" she swallowed hard, putting on a fake smile. "I'm sure he's busy, you know, as always."

Her mother's eyes saddened. "Sweetie—"

She shook her head. "It's fine, I promise. What were our plans for tonight?"

Sensing her daughter's desire to change the subject, her mother said, "Well, I'm cooking dinner for all of us together in our quarters. Matt will be leaving again soon with the Coalition diplomats, so I thought it'd be a nice time for all of us to have time as a family before…before we're separated again."

Katie smiled encouragingly. "Sounds like a great idea, mom." A thought occurred to her, and she glanced down. "Would you— well…if I find James before then, can he come, too?"

Her father's expression turned soft. "Of course, Katie. You know he's more than welcome to join us— I'd actually thought about it, myself."

A little bit of the pain in Katie's heart began to ease, and she nodded. "Okay. Thanks. I guess— I guess I'll start unloading my things—"

 _ **"KATIE!"**_

The young woman gasped. She _knew_ that voice.

Katie whirled around. Her eyes found him instantly. He was running toward her, pushing his way through the crowd.

"Katie!" he called again. "Katie, over here!"

A laugh escaped her throat at his desperate cries, and before she knew it, she was dashing toward him.

Time slowed with every step. She took him in all at once: the joy lighting his eyes, the way his hair was flying in the wind, how his MFE armor clung to every muscle.

She sped up, and with a final burst from her jetpack, she collided into him, wrapping her legs around his waist and throwing her arms around his neck.

James buried his head in her shoulder. He squeezed her tighter than he ever had before. "I'm so _sorry_ ," he choked out. "I just finished patrol, and they didn't tell me you guys were coming back early. I wanted to be here for you, I _swear_."

She hid her face in the crook of his neck. Katie inhaled his scent, and tears stung her eyes. "I missed you so much," she whispered.

Her boyfriend gave a watery laugh, gripping her firmly in reassurance. "I missed you, too."

Katie wanted to hold on forever, and she half thought they might. But after a few moments, there was the sound of someone clearing their throat. Katie lifted her head and blushed. Their reunion had grabbed the attention of a small crowd, some of whom were her fellow Paladins who had just landed. They were staring at her and James with amusement— well, most of them. Lance just cleared his throat for a second time, his eyes gazing pointedly at the way her legs were clinging to her boyfriend's body.

"Hey, there are _people_ here, thank you very much!" the red paladin snapped.

She was quick to let go and set her feet on the ground. James gave her an awkward grin, followed by an eye roll, and Katie giggled.

James' grin quickly melted into a soft smile. His armored hands reached forward to intertwine with hers.

"So," he coughed, before he comedically added, "Hello."

"Hello to you, too," Katie laughed.

A sparkle lit his eyes, and then, he jolted. "Oh! I— I have something for you. I've been working on it the past couple of weeks. Do you…" his eyes trailed back to the Paladins, who were still watching the couple a little too inconspicuously. "…do you want to go see it?"

Katie nodded eagerly. She squeezed his hand. "Lead the way."

His smile growing, James did just that. The couple wound their way through the crowd, ignoring the curious looks they got as they did so. They exited the hangar and walked through the halls in contented silence.

When they turned the final corner that lead to James' room, Katie wondered what was going through his head. The air between them felt tense, like there was something both of them wanted but neither of them would dare say out loud. Her heart was beating out of control, and it only got worse when he opened his door.

James let go of her hand and began to head toward his desk. "I hope you like it, I tried to think of something you'd really want—"

Katie never quite figured out how it happened. All she knew was that she snatched his hand back, and the next second, their lips were crashing against each other's.

James let out a deep groan, his hands gripping her waist as the two found themselves in a desperate lip-lock. Katie stumbled backwards, and he followed after her. Moments later, her back hit the wall. Their bodies became flat against one another, not an inch between them. They both moaned into the other's mouth, their pursuits quickening even more.

Katie felt dizzy. His lips were so hot on hers, and the air felt like it was crackling with energy. She could hear their armor scraping against each other as they both clawed to get even closer. Her hand reached up to fist his hair, and she cursed the fact that she couldn't feel it. Stupid armor, she wanted to be able to _touch_ him after all this time.

It seemed James felt the same way. His hands had gone to her face, but after a few futile seconds of not being able to truly feel her, he growled and ripped the gloves of his armor off.

The warm palms of his hands enveloped her face, and Katie sighed into him. He kissed her harder. She did the same. It felt like it could never end, and frankly, neither of them wanted it to.

But she knew they were running out of air. Her chest was already heaving with shallow gasps, and her heart rate was erratic. Suddenly, James tore himself off of her, and the two stared at each other, panting hard.

Katie swallowed. She hadn't known a kiss like that could make her mouth go dry. Then again, that could have been from all the breath that had passed between them.

Her eyes, which had been lingering on his lips, began to drift up. She finally looked at him, taking in how breathless he was after their passionate moment.

Katie grinned wryly. "Hi," she giggled.

His eyes twinkled. "Hi," he chuckled. James leaned down and pressed a kiss— all too short for her liking— to her lips. "Can you tell I've been going insane without you?" he questioned.

She pretended to think about it. "Hmm, a little bit."

James hummed lowly. He lowered himself again, this time capturing her lips in a new sort of greeting. It was just as passionate as the last, but it was long and slow. His fingers trailed down her face to her neck, then came back up again when her breath hitched.

Katie felt a switch in her flip. How was it that something as innocent as that had suddenly made her feel so different? She was warm all over now, and even though their pace stayed steady, she pushed her lips deeper against his.

A minute later, they separated, both of them sighing happily. James rested his forehead against hers. She clutched onto his shirt to make sure he didn't stray.

"I know it's inevitable," he murmured, "but I really hope you never have to be gone that long again."

Katie gave a little smile, lifting her still armored hand and caressing his cheek. "Maybe next time you can come with me."

"Maybe."

James shifted, leaning up to bury his nose in the top of her hair. His hands left her face in favor of her shoulders, and he ran them down her arms slowly before he took her hands in his. Katie shivered. Even though she couldn't feel his touch, the action made her want him to pin her against the wall all over again. Why was she reacting this way? She couldn't recall having these thoughts before she'd left.

James inhaled deeply, then let out a sigh. "Stay with me, please? I'm sure you have a lot to do, but— I _need_ you."

Katie nodded without hesitation.

He looked down at her and smiled shyly. "Thank you. I, um…do you have anything to wear?"

"Yes, it's in my armor's secret compartment," she teased lightly.

Her boyfriend grinned at the joke before he cleared his throat. "Ah— I, do you— you can wear something of mine, if you want. Or you can go back to your room and change. I don't mind waiting."

And again, something in her stirred. A flash of heat ran through her body, and for some reason, her brain suddenly felt all hazy.

"I'll wear something of yours," she decided.

James flushed a little, but he nodded. He let her go and backed away, heading in the direction of his dresser. He rummaged around for a moment, then produced a plain t-shirt and some shorts with a drawstring.

He handed the clothes over to her with his eyes on the ground. "You can take the bathroom— I'm going to get changed, too."

Her mind still not fully functional, all Katie did was nod. She took the clothes and made her way to his bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

While shedding her armor, Katie took the time to wonder what exactly all these feelings she was experiencing were. Sure, she and James had had their more passionate moments before, but this was different. This was heat, desperation, an insatiable need.

 _Desire_ , she realized. That was the word.

Another wave of it hit her, and she tried to push it down, focusing on removing the last pieces of her armor. When she had, she slipped off the body suit, set it aside, and tossed on James' clothes. The drawstring had to be pulled tight in order to fit her, but she didn't mind. And the t-shirt was way too big, but it was soft and comfortable, so she didn't mind that either.

Speaking of the shirt, Katie sniffed the collar and sighed, mentally noting that she needed to steal another one of his sweaters sometime soon. His cologne was still far too intoxicating for her own good.

Katie turned around and gave herself a once-over in the mirror. The t-shirt fell below the shorts just above her knees, and for the first time in her life, Katie entertained the idea that she actually might look…desirable. Huh, that was a new thought.

The memory of James' hot lips on hers suddenly came rushing back, and Katie felt warm all over again. She was in his _bathroom_ , wearing _his_ clothes, and _he_ was on the other side of the wall, waiting for _her_.

As she stood there staring at the door, the sensations began to spread. By the time she finally opened it, her entire body felt like it was tingling.

Katie Holt usually prided herself on being a very logical person, but right now, these feelings made her want to toss all of that aside. So when she saw James half-way sitting up on his bed, smiling at her sweetly, she gladly let the new feelings take control.

She crossed the room in three seconds flat, hopping up on the bed, swinging one of her legs around to the other side of his hips, and crushing her lips against his.

James made a noise of surprise, but he laughed and wrapped his arms around her firmly. Katie kissed him with all the strength she had in her, letting her hands cup his face so she could _finally_ feel his skin under hers once more. His head tilted to deepen the kiss, and she let out a moan.

Without warning, James broke the kiss and raised an eyebrow. "Making up for lost time?"

Katie nodded. "Uhuh."

She grabbed his shirt, and the next second, they were back at it again. She settled down against him, a spark of electricity firing through her at the feeling of his warm body flush against hers. She pressed her lips harder into his in a silent request, and James gladly reciprocated.

The pair found themselves in a heated dance, lost in the sensations that they had both missed out on for far too long. Katie soaked it all in— every touch, every gasp, every groan. She enjoyed all of it, and it still didn't seem like enough.

Then, James' hands slipped under her shirt. A shiver went up her spine at the feeling of his calloused fingers stroking her back. She arched into him, giving her approval, and he continued his caress. Seemed they were _both_ craving each other more than they'd initially let on.

That being the case, Katie didn't ask before she let her own hands wander under his shirt. She ran them slowly over his abs, giggling when he flexed mid-kiss for her. Finally, she settled her touch on his side, and was pleased to find that his scars felt even smoother than they had before she left.

James pulled back and gave a knowing look. "I made sure to not add any to the collection while you were gone," he said.

Katie nodded seriously. "Good."

The couple let themselves be held captive in silence. Katie continued to stroke over his scars lazily, and she was more than aware of his fingers gliding along the small of her back.

Something about it made a desperation build up inside of her. Or maybe it was because she was sitting directly on top of his lap, and they'd never been in such an intimate position before. Either way, an overwhelming heat seemed to be taking over her entire body. She wanted him to touch her more, wanted his hands to roam further, wanted there to be less fabric between them, _something_.

And a very large part of her was begging to let her do just that. Let them get tangled up in each other and get carried away— who cared how it wound up?

She later wondered if James had been thinking the same thing. He leaned down and captured her lips with his, leading her at what had to be an intentionally slow pace.

She considered fighting against him. They'd never kissed with tongue before— maybe they could try that out? But he was removing his hands from her skin, and a disappointed moan slipped out of her throat. She knew what he was trying to do. She knew he was making sure they didn't go too far. Later she would appreciate it, but in this moment, after not seeing him for so long, she wished he'd stop and just let them have each other.

A minute into his steady persistence, however, most of the heat had tapered off. Their kiss had turned sweet, full of gratefulness and joy that they were finally back together, safe and sound. Her hands left his abdomen in favor of his face, caressing his cheek softly and tracing his features so she could encode them into her memory forever. James seemed more than happy to lean into the gentle touches she trailed.

When they parted, they were both panting lightly. As she caught her breath, Katie let her hands wander up to his hair. She'd missed playing with it while she was gone, not to mention a part of her still had the urge to explore him more.

At one point, her traitorous eyes even flickered down to his neck, but she stopped herself. They'd had enough new experiences as it was that day. Though, she did promise herself that she'd find a way to test it out, soon. She wondered what kind of reactions she could get out of him if she hit the right spot.

Speaking of reactions, James had been chuckling for some time now. "Missed my hair, too, huh?"

Katie nodded resolutely, then snickered when his grin widened. Smiling, she pressed an obnoxiously loud kiss square on his lips.

"I missed _all_ of you," she claimed dramatically.

"Good," he laughed, "I missed all of you, too."

Still grinning, Katie leaned forward and set her forehead against his. The scent of his cologne hit her nose, and she closed her eyes in bliss. "I love you," she murmured.

His lips pecked hers ever so briefly. "I love you, too, honey."

She sighed happily. She was finally home.

Katie shifted off of him, knowing that staying where she was would only be asking for trouble. She curled up into his side and wound her arms around his waist. He did the same to her, squeezing tight.

The two sat in peaceful silence. Katie focused all of her attention on the comforting sound of his breathing, steady and slow. She hadn't realized how calming his presence had always been before— not until they were separated and she found herself constantly missing it.

She nuzzled her head into his chest, and James leaned down to press a kiss to her hair.

"I'm so glad you're back," he whispered. "I hated not having you around."

Katie hummed in agreement. Their video calls never could have taken the place of their actual relationship. They'd known that going into it. It was weird realizing how distant they'd felt even though they had spoken every single day while they were separated.

One of her hands began to fiddle with his shirt absentmindedly. "Well, I'm here to stay," she stated, then added on, "For now, at least. I'm sure this isn't the last tour like this I'll have to go on."

The mood in the room changed. Before, it had been peaceful, if not still a little thick as their passions continued to die down. Now, it was filled with a sort of unspoken dread.

Katie mentally cursed herself. Why did she have to say something stupid like that? Even though they couldn't deny the inevitable, neither one of them wanted to think about her leaving again anytime soon.

Her mind began to racking through ways she could recover the conversation, to get back to the happy feelings they'd felt before, when suddenly, she remembered something.

"Oh!" she gasped, pushing herself up to look into brown eyes. "I forgot to tell you something!"

James tilted his head curiously. "What is it?"

A little jolt of nerves entered her. "Well, I, uh…my family is having dinner together tonight, because, you know, me and Matt are back." She twiddled her thumbs awkwardly. "And…and I'd really like it if you came with me."

When Katie looked up, she found concern in his eyes. She had expected as much— though he had already met both of her parents, this was a much bigger step for them to take. This was her including him in her family.

But then, he surprised her. "Katie, what's going through your mind? You went quiet a minute ago."

She blinked. "I—" She didn't know what to say. She still felt like an idiot for saying what she did, and somewhere in her chest, she felt an anxiety rising telling her that maybe time really had changed their relationship. Maybe that's why she felt awkward now. Maybe that's why she wanted to smack herself in the head for bringing up the fact that she'd probably have to leave him again. Maybe that wasn't how relationships were supposed to be? Was it normal to have that kind of time away from each other? She had no idea.

Katie's eyes flicked down. "I…I feel stupid for saying that this isn't the last tour I'll have to go on," she admitted. "And…and I'm worried that stuff like that won't be good for…us."

James let out a deep sigh, and she looked up. There was a frown on his lips…but his eyes held a fire she wasn't expecting.

"Katie, you— of _course_ the idea of you being gone for any amount of time makes me sad, but that doesn't mean for a _second_ that I would ever want to not be with you."

She stared at him with wide eyes. Her boyfriend was looking down now, his expression bashful as he slowly reached forward and intertwined his fingers with hers. He lifted their joined hands to his lips, brushing her fingers against his mouth softly.

"You being gone reminded me of how happy I am when you're here," he told her. "So no, I don't like it, but I'll deal with it if it means having you."

Katie hadn't realized how tense the air between them was until the moment she let out a sigh of relief. James glanced up at her, eyes shy, then said "oof!" when she threw her arms around him.

"Thank you," she breathed into his neck. "I'm sorry, I just didn't know— like, how relationships work, and stuff, and—"

He squeezed her tight. "It's okay," he assured her. "Trust me, it went through my head a lot, too. But I don't have any intention of letting you go."

Katie's heart skipped a beat at his words. Her curiosity wanted to pry, asking him exactly how long he planned on keeping that promise. The word _forever_ crossed her mind, and she tried to push it aside. It was too early to think thoughts like that, right? Then again, she knew it hadn't been the first time daydreams of life with James had popped into her mind.

The visual of him sitting that night with her family, laughing over dinner as they chatted about the adventures she and Matt had experienced, made its way to the front of her thoughts.

"Katie?"

Her head lifted to look at him. "Hm?"

James's eyes were gazing into hers so adoringly, she swore he was trying to pour every ounce of love he had into her. And it was working.

"I love you, Katie," he said seriously. "Please don't doubt that."

She shook her head. "I won't. Not again." His shoulders relaxed a little. Katie's heart tugged. She leaned forward, pressing a long, sweet kiss to his lips. He gripped her waist in a firm hug, and all the rest of the worry she'd had melted away.

When they parted, Katie lifted a finger and tapped him on the nose. "I love you, too, you silly man," she teased. He smiled, and she couldn't help but grin back. "Now then, you never answered my question."

"I didn't?" he asked, feigning innocence.

Katie rolled her eyes before she leveled him with a steady look. "Come to dinner with me tonight," she requested, then added confidently, "I'm not taking no for an answer. I already asked, and they said you were more than welcome."

James's face suddenly took on the shy look he'd had a minute ago. "I…I don't want to intrude on your family time. You haven't seen your parents in a month, and I've already stolen you away long enough."

Growing impatient, Katie cupped his face in her hands and pressed a searing kiss to his lips. She pulled away just seconds later, all too proud of how dazed her boyfriend was.

"You're coming," she insisted. When he hesitated, she put on a pout. " _Please_ , James. I know I can't make you, but I really really want you to."

Brown eyes softened. "Okay, honey."

Katie smiled triumphantly. She'd have to use that trick more often— it seemed to work on him rather well. Then again, she had the feeling he could just as easily convince her to do something with the same methods.

Her mission accomplished, Katie finally got up from the bed and stretched. "I need to head back and get ready," she told him. James, still slightly out of it, just nodded. She snickered and gave him a quick peck before she began to head toward the door.

"Wha— wait!" he called.

Katie turned and saw that he had followed after her, his face bright red. "Y-You're, um, you're still in my clothes," he stuttered. "They— people will think— you know…"

When Katie realized what he was trying to say, she found her own cheeks begin to burn. "R-Right, I forgot about that."

James swallowed, his eyes darting toward the floor. "Yeah."

There was something in the air that Katie couldn't identify. Awkwardness at their little predicament. Curiosity at the way he seemed so flustered. Thrill at the thought of something like that happening one day. Either way, Katie couldn't help the shudder that went up her spine. She didn't mind the idea of walking around in James' clothes at all. It felt like a form of declaration, a label she could proudly flaunt and make sure that everyone was aware of.

Some of the heat from earlier was returning, and suddenly feeling embarrassed, Katie hurried inside James' bathroom and shut the door behind her. She leaned back against the wall and sighed. She really needed to figure out how to get ahold of herself, not to mention all of these new sensations that were clamoring for her attention.

Hopefully putting her armor back on would be a good enough distraction.

* * *

A knock sounded from the door, and Katie called, "Come in!"

She looked through the mirror to see James entering her room. He shut the door, and Katie let her eyes wander over his new outfit of dark jeans and a button up shirt.

"Aww, you look cute," she told him.

James made a face. "I don't want _cute_."

Katie snorted, "Too bad, cute is what you're getting." After checking up on her own appearance, she turned around and looked him over. He really did clean up nice, and he wasn't even trying that hard. Her eyes followed the way the fabric of his shirt outlined his figure nicely. Something about it made her recall what she'd been thinking about before he entered.

The silence must have given her away, because James started walking toward her with a concerned look. "Something's on your mind," he stated.

He stopped in front of her, and Katie looked to the ground. Even though she'd been thinking over what to say for a couple hours now, the words hadn't come to her yet.

"I, um…" she started. "I feel like I should apologize for…for earlier. It's…this is all so new, and I think I got a little carried away."

She dared to peek up at him. James was staring down at her, a contemplative expression on his face. After a moment, his hands took hers.

He glanced down at them as he murmured, "We can talk about it later, okay?"

Katie bit her lip in worry. So maybe her thoughts had been right. Maybe she had come on a bit strong. She shouldn't have let herself begin to lose control like that.

Swallowing, she nodded and made to pull away. But James held her steady.

Brown eyes lifted to gaze into hers. "We…we probably needed to talk about that soon anyways, but…I don't want you apologize for something I wouldn't mind you doing again."

Katie tried to ignore the spark of desire that ran through her.

"I, um," he cleared his throat, then laughed awkwardly, "I'm not going to act like it was easy for me to stop. Resisting you was the _last_ thing I wanted to do."

Her heart skipped a beat. "Oh."

James gave her a little grin. "It's, uh…well, we said we would take things slow, right?" She nodded, and he nodded back. "So I plan to keep to that promise. And it probably won't be easy, because um…well, I want you, too," he admitted shyly. "But I want to respect you first."

Katie squeezed his hands. "And I want to do the same."

His eyes expressed his gratefulness. James leaned down, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips. "We'll talk about it soon," he promised. "But don't think you made me uncomfortable or anything, okay?"

She hummed in understanding. "We're figuring this out as we go."

"Exactly," he agreed. "But right now, let's go have fun. Don't worry about it, okay?"

Katie quirked an eyebrow. "Fun, hm? And here I thought you'd be shaking in your boots."

James rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, the fear of your family has me trembling," he joked dryly. His girlfriend laughed, and the two shared another quick kiss before they headed out of her room.

On the way to her parent's quarters, Katie asked James about his day, keeping a constant flow of questions to get his mind off where they were going. Even though he'd joked about it, she knew he still felt nervous about this family dinner. Seems they were taking a lot of big steps today, and she could only hope to be as much of a comfort to him as possible as they took this one.

The couple stepped up to the door, and Katie squeezed his hand. "Ready?"

James opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, the door had slid open.

"Come on in!" Katie's mother greeted. "I'm just finishing up, but everyone else is already here."

Katie tried to not laugh at the way her boyfriend blinked. He probably hadn't expected such an enthusiastic welcome.

Knowing she'd need to take control for a bit, Katie tugged on his hand to follow her into the room. "Smells good, mom," she commented.

"That's because she's the best cook in the entire universe."

Katie's head turned, and she saw her father sitting with Matt at the dining table. She felt James stiffen next to her.

"I mean, we've known that for ages," Matt added onto their dad's claim. "All I wanted while I was with the rebels was her baked ziti."

Katie laughed. " _Same_. Space goo doesn't compare."

The small talk came to an end when her father's eyes switched from her to James. The commander smiled kindly. "Nice to see you could make it."

Katie could practically feel the nervous energy radiating from her boyfriend. "Thank you for inviting me, sir," he replied. She resisted the urge to look at him worriedly. His voice had gone into his formal-MFE-mode in the blink of an eye.

A moment passed before her father shook his head, amused. "None of that, son. You're not my subordinate here— right now, you're just the man dating my daughter."

Katie finally dared to look. James' eyes had widened a bit, but he nodded.

A thought Katie hadn't had before suddenly occurred to her: she would never be in James' position. There was no family for her to meet, no parents to hope to impress, no siblings to get along with. James was all alone. She and his friends were all he had.

Her heart squeezed in pain. Sometimes it still slipped her mind that he had lost everything, as terrible as that was. He was just so strong, so determined…it was hard to think of him as someone who had been through so much trauma.

The train of thought was broken, however, when her brother lifted his chin and said, "You still have to call _me_ sir, though."

And then, to Katie's utter shock, James snorted. "I think I'm good."

Matt raised an eyebrow, but the look in his eyes told him he definitely approved.

"Is everyone sitting down, yet?" Katie's mother called. "It'll be just a few more minutes!"

Taking their cue, the young couple made their way to the empty seats at the table. James pulled a chair out for her, and Katie gave him a knowing look. He just winked. Katie wanted to laugh at how hard he was trying to impress her family.

After the two had settled, her father leaned forward. "So, how was your final meeting on Trillin?"

"Ugh, _those_ people," Matt cut in before she could answer. "You have no idea how persistent they were about meeting you guys. They talk your ears off for hours?"

Katie just shrugged. "Meh, not really. But it wasn't like we were going to stick around unnecessarily. You'd already extended our tour by five days," she said with an accusing tone.

Matt held up his hands. "Look, do you know how long it took to fix everything after prince what's-his-name tried to propose to you? The schedule got off! It wasn't my fault!"

Katie spotted a little grin forming on James' lips. "Glad to know _someone_ was up there making sure you didn't get into any more trouble," he teased.

The young woman was quick to stick her tongue out. "Hey, you got into your own mess. Whatever happened with the princess?"

"They got back home, we haven't heard much since," James told her.

"Yeesh," Matt shook his head, "Someone's a heart breaker."

"Hardly," James chuckled. "I think they're just taking their time speaking with their high counsel. Religion is very important to them, apparently."

Katie's father nodded. "So I've heard. I do often wonder if we need to begin creating a formal database to keep track of all this information. We can only remember so much before we begin confusing cultures."

James tilted his head in thought. "I think Leifsdottir mentioned something about that the other day, actually. She's meeting with Iverson to talk about starting it. I think it's a necessity— like you said, it's too much information to try to keep in our heads and hope we get it right."

Smiling proudly, Katie reached under the table and squeezed her boyfriend's hand. He gave a little grin, and her heart soared. This was where she wanted him to be. This felt right, like it was exactly where he was supposed to be.

She sat back and listened to her father, brother, and boyfriend converse about different cultures and data storing methods, all too content with the idea of this becoming a regular occurrence.

* * *

 **Things are getting serious! Please leave a review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello there! I have been looking forward to this chapter for some time now, and therefore I have very specific instructions for it.**

 **When the time comes (and you shall know when the time comes), I highly suggest listening to the song "First Light" by Spencer Jones (Cinematic Pop album). You're welcome.**

* * *

He fell to his knees and slid across the smooth floor, then rolled to a stop. When he looked back, the drones were still right on his tail. James Griffin growled.

"Honey—!"

His girlfriend tossed her bayard across the room without hesitating.

James caught it, willing it to transform. There was a flash of light before he unleashed a rain of energy blasts, rapid fire. Smoke filled the air as the drones dropped to the ground one after another.

He stood up, panting from the exertion. Though he'd only been working on using her bayard for a week, it still drained his quintessence like nothing he'd ever experienced before.

"James!"

His eyes flickered up. Katie was backed against a wall, the humanoid drone towering over her. His teeth grit together. He could manage one more shot.

"Get down!" he shouted. She obeyed. The drone followed her movements as predicted. James pulled the trigger.

A crackle of the final energy burst sounded through the air. He knew it echoed weaker than usual— his quintessence was fading faster. With one final push of adrenaline, James sprung up from the ground, rushed the drone, and swung a kick to its head.

Seconds later, its eyes faded to a lifeless grey. It clattered to the floor. James fell back against the wall, exhausted.

"End training sequence!" he heard his girlfriend call. He opened his eyes blearily and saw her walking up to him with a worried expression. "You okay?"

"Well," he grunted, "I don't exactly have a lion recharging me with unlimited energy."

Katie nodded. "You're getting better, though. You lasted longer than yesterday."

He chuckled wearily. James blinked down at the bayard, putting his mind through the steps of how to transform it back. After a moment, it dissolved into its regular state. He held it out to hand it over. Katie didn't take it. She was staring at him, her eyebrows knitted together in concentration.

He tilted his head. "What?"

Katie shrugged. "You're hot when you go into commander mode, that's all."

And suddenly, it felt like he hadn't just drained all his energy using alien tech. A new wave of it surged through him, and James found himself picking his petite girlfriend up and spinning her around.

She squeaked with surprise before she burst into laughter, holding onto his neck tightly. He set her down a few seconds later, and before she could step away, he managed to sneak a little kiss on her neck.

"James!" Katie giggled. "What if someone walks in?"

Grinning, he then pressed a kiss to her lips. "They won't," he assured her. "I reserved a private room for a reason."

She shook her head. "I think you've become more of a casanova lately, mister."

James quirked an eyebrow. "And if I am?" he asked boldly.

A spark entering her golden eyes, Katie was quick to pull his head down and crush an adamant kiss to his lips, the kind that made him instantly forget whatever they'd been talking about. James gladly let himself melt into her, wrapping her in his arms and holding her close.

Her lips left his, and she gave him a look. "Then it better be only with me."

His grip on her waist tightened. "Always," he hummed lowly.

A familiar heat filled the air between them. The couple held their breath in anticipation. James began to lean in, but he paused. After a few seconds of hesitation, Katie gave him a wry grin. He swallowed and reluctantly pulled away.

His girlfriend's eyes had a knowing look in them. "I'm gonna get my stuff," she said.

He nodded silently. Katie turned to grab her things, and he felt his brain begin to spiral into the thoughts that had been swirling around for weeks now. He had never understood the true definition of self control until Katie had come back home. Oftentimes, he found that he had to physically remove himself from her presence just to restrain himself.

James let his eyes roam her body for a second, trailing over the curves that he wanted to engrave into his memory. His mind rewinded to their conversation a little over two weeks ago. They had come to a lot of conclusions that day. Mainly, that they were both planners, and secondly, that they didn't want to accidentally stumble into going too far.

Therefore, they were going to wait until— well, the "M" word.

 _Marriage._

James had honestly been concerned that their conversation would make things awkward between them, but if anything, it was freeing. They both knew where they were at, how they felt about things, and it helped them better understand what their goals as a couple were together. All of that was worth how much he'd blushed during the whole discussion.

He let his eyes wander over her for a moment more, feeling an impatient desire that had been all too common lately burning inside of him, then snapped himself out of it. They'd decided to take it slow, no matter how hard it was. It was going to be for the best. And sure, it'd be hard resist her, but—

"Enjoying the view?"

The MFE commander suddenly realized he'd been staring, again. Heat rushed to his cheeks. "Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

Katie shook her head, laughing, "It's _fine_ , silly." He looked down, slightly ashamed, but his girlfriend surprised him by getting up on her tiptoes to give him a quick peck. "What, you think I don't check you out, too?" she teased.

James blinked. Then, a little smile slowly grew on his face. "Wait…do you?"

"That's for me to know and you to figure out," she said, tapping his nose. "Now come on, I feel gross. Let's go get showered!"

An image of steamed glass filled his mind, followed by the sound of breathy moans and slippery kisses as he held her in his arms and—

James forcefully shoved the daydream aside. "Sure."

Katie smiled at him brightly, and he held in a groan. It was like everything she did lately drove him absolutely crazy. He knew attraction and desire and all that were only natural, but it was almost a bit too much. He wondered if it was normal to want someone so bad.

He distracted himself by gathering his things. A minute later, the two were making their way down the hall, their hands swinging between them. He could feel a tingle passing between their fingers. A quick glance down told him that Katie had activated her bracelet to give him some of her quintessence.

He squeezed her hand in a silent thank you, and she squeezed back.

When they entered his room, James looked down at her. "You first?"

"I'm good," she shrugged. "You shower first. You smell."

He made sure to mess up her hair in retaliation before he grabbed a change of clothes and slipped in the bathroom. James made quick work of scrubbing himself down and towel drying his hair— he didn't want to make her wait too long, anyways.

As he stepped out of the shower, his eyes caught her bottle of body wash on the shelf. He had the feeling that if people knew they had become so familiar, they'd both face public humiliation. But to them, it didn't seem so strange. Putting shampoo in each other's bathrooms, stashing away extra pajamas for when they wanted to snuggle, accidentally misplacing something in the other's room— it just made sense.

There was something about the domesticity of it all that made James feel all fuzzy and warm. He liked the fact that they were comfortable enough to be so close, for their connection to be intimate beyond their passionate moments. It was a little sign of commitment, one that he treasured every single day.

Thus, when he stepped out of the bathroom, he wasn't surprised to see that Katie was waiting for him with her own change of clothes and towel, ready to walk in.

"Do I meet your standards now?" he joked.

His girlfriend sniffed the air. "Mmm, yes, much better."

James rolled his eyes, and she giggled before she pushed past him and shut the door. A few moments later, he heard the water turn on. The daydream from earlier was quick to reappear, but he squashed it down. He couldn't let him think about that, not with her right through the wall.

To get his mind off it, he sat down at his desk. James stared down at the scattered papers in front of him. He usually didn't write much these days, what with the Garrison being so high tech. But this assignment had been different. It deserved the attention of him taking his time, carefully considering each word.

 _It is on this day we both celebrate our victory and remember our losses— most importantly, the loved ones who were taken from us. A little over three years ago, my parents died in the Galra invasion. I stand before you knowing that many of you share a similar story. This common pain brings many of us together. Today, as we remember those who we lost, we must remember to not only honor them, but know what they would want of us. Those of us who survived the war are indebted to them. We face a new era, a new universe, and we owe it to them to do our best to ensure that such a tragedy will never occur again._

James chewed the end of his pencil. Was it too formal? He wasn't sure. He knew he wrote down most of what he'd wanted to say, and he'd intentionally not gotten too personal so he'd be able to get through it without crying. Even now, talking about his parents wasn't easy. He doubted it ever would be.

"Sweetheart?"

He blinked up. "Hm?"

Katie was standing in the doorway in her pajamas, towel drying her hair. She had an amused look on her face. "I've been standing here for over a minute."

"Sorry," he shook his head. "My— my brain's a little all over the place right now." His girlfriend wandered over and rested her chin on his shoulder. He glanced down at the paper, suddenly a little self conscious. "It's, um…it's not done, but…it's for the one year commemoration gala. There's a committee in Plaht City that's building a memorial, and they wanted me to say a few words about it, since…yeah."

She nodded. "I figured that much out. I read it while you were in the bathroom."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Someone's nosy."

Katie shrugged. "I prefer curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat, you know."

"Good thing I have a lion."

He rolled his eyes, which only caused Katie to laugh at her joke even harder. "I think my terrible sense of humor has rubbed off on you," he said dryly.

"Most likely," she replied, eyes sparkling. "Come snuggle, please?"

James acquiesced to her request immediately. The pair made their way over to his bed and tangled themselves up to rest against his headboard. She nuzzled her cheek into his chest, and he squeezed her happily.

After Katie had returned, finding time for each other had become a problem all over again. She was kept ridiculously busy getting caught up on all that happened during her absence, so carving out a piece of time for each other had turned crucial. Sunday afternoons had become strictly for them, and no one else.

So they sat there in the peace and calm of each other's presence, stroking each other absentmindedly. James didn't really know why it was so reassuring to drift his fingers up and down her arm— it just was. It reaffirmed that she, the other half of his heart, was there with him, as it should be.

He felt her shift a bit against him. "You busy this week?"

"Unfortunately," he hummed. "Think I get off early Thursday, though. Wanna go out?"

"Can't," she sighed. "I'm working late that night. What about Friday?"

"On patrol all day."

Katie grumbled, "Bleh, I really need to fix our schedules to line up."

James chuckled. "I'll bring you dinner in the lab Thursday night, okay?"

"Hunk will be there."

"And?"

"You won't be able to kiss me with him around."

The MFE commander snickered. His girlfriend sounded so pouty. "I'm sure we'll survive."

Katie pushed herself off of him to give a mischievous look. "Or you could just sneak one when his back is turned."

He answered by doing just as she suggested, which made her laugh. James gazed into her sparkling eyes adoringly. He never thought he could love someone so much, but everything she did made his heart swell even more.

For some reason, this thought made his mind jump back to their previous conversation. James found himself looking down shyly, idly playing with her fingers. There had been a question he'd needed to ask for a while, but he'd never found the right time. Given how little time they'd been getting lately, he knew he should take his chance.

"Katie…" he trailed off. "I…you know how sometimes I'm really bad with words?"

His girlfriend grinned. "No, you? Since when?" He grimaced a little, and she leaned up to kiss him as an apology for her jab. "Whatever it is, just say it, James," she insisted. "You know I'll understand what you're trying to say."

"Right," he swallowed. James tossed a few options around in his head before he lifted his eyes to stare into hers. "Will you go to the gala with me?"

Katie blinked. He knew why.

"Are you…are you sure you wanna go with me?" she asked. "I'm kind of a big deal."

Though she was trying her best to be teasing, he could hear the defense mechanism in her voice. And even if he hadn't, her anxiety showed through her eyes.

James cleared his throat. "Well, I'm pretty sure a meager MFE pilot like myself will be enough to contend for the honor of escorting you, Miss Big Deal."

Katie laughed, but her face fell quickly. He threaded their fingers together and squeezed reassuringly. She looked up at him, hesitating. "You know this is it, though, right? If we go together, every Coalition planet will know I'm officially off the market...and I'm not too sure how everyone's going to react to it."

Though he hummed thoughtfully, James moved his head toward her shoulder. "Well, first of all—" he started, nuzzling his nose against her skin and peppering a few light kisses as he went along, "I'd like to think that you've been off the market for several months now."

His girlfriend dissolved into a fit of giggles, swatting playfully at his face for him to stop. After all, both of them knew that if he continued any further, this conversation wouldn't get finished.

James pulled back, smiling. It seemed his tactics had removed most of her anxiety, but he could still see some of it lurking below the surface.

And so, he leveled her with a steady look. "I know you're worried," he said gently. "But I think we can handle it. I love you enough to deal with whatever people say or do— honestly, we've already dealt with it some already." Katie nodded, and he continued. "This is supposed to be a celebration, honey. I think it's an appropriate event for us to announce our relationship, even if it isn't some official declaration."

He watched as she absorbed all of this slowly. Then, to his surprise, she shrugged. "Okay."

James blinked at her, and she laughed, "What, like you thought I'd actually say no? Dork."

He got over his shock quickly. James tackled her to the bed, fingers digging into her sides. She squealed, but he continued his tickling assault.

"Did you really need to give me a heart attack like that?" he interrogated.

"Y-Yes!" she laughed. "I-It was w-worth it!"

Rolling his eyes, he swooped down and captured her lips with his. She sighed into him, and he pressed deeper. Yeah, he was sure his love for her would never stop increasing.

* * *

For the fourth time that night, James adjusted his tie. When it was where he wanted it to be, he took in a deep breath and stared at his reflection in the mirror. His brain ran through waltz steps in his mind again, a burst of anxiety and excitement hitting him all at once.

It was finally here: the night of the gala.

It was a weird feeling. All day, people at the Garrison had been a mixture of emotions, including himself. Many were happy— it was the one year anniversary of them defeating the Galra, after all. But with that victory also came the reminder of what they'd lost. To say that people didn't know how to feel was an understatement.

For James, especially, it was odd. Tonight wasn't just a fancy dinner and dance— tonight was the night he got to claim Katie Holt as his to the entire universe, and he was certain he was more than ready for it.

He made sure to put on the bracelet she gave him before he left his room. They'd been instructed to meet in one of the main hangars. James made his way down the halls with a skip in his step.

When he arrived, the doors slid open. His eyes scanned the room— Iverson and other top commanders were off to one side, including Katie's father. James and Commander Holt's eyes met, and they traded a nod. In another area was the cluster of the younger adults. The MFE squadron was chatting idly with the Paladins.

James frowned when he couldn't see Katie, but then he saw a flash of green. She must have been hidden from his view.

He walked toward the group. As he approached, she emerged from behind Captain Shiro's towering figure. James' heart stopped.

She was an absolute vision. Her dress was green, as always whenever the Paladins were color-coded, but it was different from her lion. It was a mint color, one that made her eyes seem to glow even more than usual. The neckline was high, and the gown outlined her waist perfectly before the material fell in a puddle on the floor. She shifted slightly, and his heart skipped a beat when he noticed that her upper back was exposed.

And that's when he saw it: the silver chain of his dog tags peaking out from under her collar.

She must have felt him staring, because she finally turned around, her eyes lighting up instantly. James was more than aware of everyone around, but he couldn't find the strength to care. Thus, he walked up to her, put his hands on her waist, and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Beautiful," he murmured. "Just like always."

When he pulled back, he saw that her shoulders had melted. And there was something in her eyes— that look she usually gave him that said she wanted to kiss him. He watched as she bit her lip, then reached up and adjusted his tie just slightly. An obvious diversion tactic.

James grinned, wondering if she felt too shy to say anything around her friends about his appearance or if she was just trying to get herself under control. He'd noticed she had a habit of going quiet whenever either of those situations occurred.

"You good?" he asked innocently.

His girlfriend gave him a half-glare, and James coughed to cover up his laugh. Of course Katie knew that he knew what she was doing.

"Alright, everyone, listen up!" Iverson called. All the Garrison personnel turned, and the commander began to rattle off instructions in his usual gravelly tone.

Katie and James listened to the long winded speech, vaguely noting Iverson's notes about their arrival, order of the processional, and expectations of behavior. All the while, one of Katie's thumbs was running circles on the back of James' hand.

Then, during a moment where Iverson's voice stopped just briefly, she leaned over and whispered, "You look too good. It's frustrating."

A smile curled on James' lips. Ah, so it had been option number two. He squeezed her hand, and she shifted a little closer to him.

"—got that?" Iverson asked. Nods came from all around, and he grunted. "Good. Everyone load up— Paladins in car one, MFE's in car two. The rest of you are with me."

People began to scatter. "Darn," Katie muttered.

"It's okay," James shrugged. "Figures we'd be split up."

"There's an evil plot to separate us," his girlfriend theorized conspiratorially.

The MFE commander snickered, "Hardly." He glanced around, then leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. "See you there, okay?"

She nodded. The pair untangled their hands reluctantly, then began to make their way toward their designated vehicles. When James was about to climb in, he heard a whistle. He looked to the source, and found Katie sticking her tongue out in annoyance over at the door of her car. He laughed, then got in.

The ride to the hall where the gala was being held passed mostly in silence. This wasn't uncommon for the MFE's. Comfortable silence was a sort of agreement they all had— it was just how they liked being with each other. They enjoyed not having to say anything, to be at ease in a judgement free zone. Not to mention, three-quarters of the group were introverted.

Therefore, it wasn't surprising that the extrovert was the one to finally break the silence.

"Katie looks pretty," Rizavi commented idly. "You gonna be able to keep your hands off her?"

James rolled his eyes. " _Riz_ —"

"What? We've all noticed how much closer you two have gotten lately," Nadia defended.

James opened his mouth, ready to make a comeback, when the looks of agreement from Kinkade and Leifsdottir made him halt. The commander sputtered in an attempt to get some sort of an answer out.

Kinkade beat him to it. "You're getting serious, aren't you?" It wasn't so much of a question as it was a statement.

"Obviously," Leifsdottir answered for him. "They spend approximately eighty percent of their non-scheduled time together."

James blushed, his eyes casting down bashfully.

Rizavi was quick to add, "Awww, I think it's adorable!"

He looked up with guarded eyes. His friends stared back, all of their faces kind, and he suddenly realized that they weren't just teasing him. They were being sincere in their curiosity.

Nadia smiled at him understandingly. "Just be honest with us, Griff. We do like to get updates every now and then."

His eyes flickered to the ground. It seemed like such a simple request, but there was almost too much to say to know how to say it. After a few moments, he whispered, "She's _everything_ to me, and more, if that makes sense. So…yeah, you could say we're more serious now. Not that we weren't before, but— I don't know, her leaving changed something."

Kinkade nodded wisely. "Absence makes the heart fonder."

James laughed. "Yeah, it does."

There was a beat of silence. Then—

"I predict a seventy percent chance of an engagement within two years, ninety five percent chance within three."

James gaped at Leifsdottir, his mouth dropped open.

"I'm in on that bet!" Rizavi chimed in.

Kinkade shrugged. "I would've guessed shorter."

Their commander's brain felt like it was short circuiting. It wasn't that he _hadn't_ already thought of the idea, they had talked about the M-word when they had their conversation, but it was just so…he didn't know!

James found himself stammering. "I— we— it's— that's a little too—"

"We're _kidding_ , Griff," Nadia snorted.

Leifsdottir raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't."

The darker woman made a sign for her to zip it, then grinned at James. "We're just happy for you. You deserve each other after all you've been through."

His shoulders, which had tensed up under their jokes, dropped. He smiled broadly at the group. "Thank you. That means a lot coming from you guys."

Kinkade dipped his head in silent acknowledgment. "How are things on her end?" he inquired. "Do the Paladins approve?"

James suddenly frowned. He glanced out the window, finding that they were quickly approaching the gala hall. "I think so, but it's kinda hard to tell," he admitted. "They have a weird vibe sometimes, like they don't want to let anyone into their group."

"We can be the same way," Rizavi pointed out.

"True, but it's different," James sighed. He tried to think of a way he could best explain it. "It's— it's almost like they have a particle barrier up. It's been difficult to break through it."

Leifsdottir hummed, "Their experiences created a unique bond between them. You dating one of their members is most likely seen as an invasion of that connection."

"Right," Rizavi nodded. "But I'm sure it'll get better with time. I mean, they haven't done or said anything mean to you, right?"

James shook his head. "No, but I wish I knew how to make things better. I don't want Katie to feel like she has to choose between me and them."

"Time," Kinkade mumbled. "It'll just take time."

He contemplated the statement. It made sense— he and Katie fell in love rather quickly, all things considered. It was understandable that it would take everyone else around them time to catch up.

James didn't have too long to consider the idea, though. Their car came to a stop, and he looked out the window to see that the Paladins were getting out of their vehicle in front of them. Katie exited last after Hunk, her fellow science friend giving her a hand to help her down. James smiled in appreciation. It was nice to know someone was looking after her when he couldn't.

A moment later, the MFE's car pulled up to the walkway, and James looked back at his team. They nodded. He opened the door.

The MFE's exited their car single file, falling into step just behind the Paladins. There were flashes of cameras and blurted questions all around them, but James didn't notice it. He just kept his eyes on his girlfriend in front of him, trying to make sure they didn't wander too much.

Once they were in, they were all escorted to tables toward the front of the banquet hall. James nearly sighed in relief when he saw that someone had put him next to Katie. It seems at least someone on the planning committee was aware of their relationship, and had been considerate enough to place them together.

"Thank quiznak," he heard Katie mutter when he sat down next to her. He snickered, and it didn't take too long before their hands became intertwined under the table.

Dinner passed by in a blur of random conversation and comments about the food. Occasionally, James swore he felt eyes on his back, but he was sure he had to be imagining things. It was probably just his training that had him on edge at such a high profile event. Some habits never died.

Then came the part he'd been more or less dreading.

The host of the event was saying something along the lines of enjoying the entertainment or whatever, but James didn't hear it. He was just running through the steps of a waltz in his head one last time, counting the one-two-three rhythm obsessively in his head.

Finally, the musician stepped up to the stage, and James felt his palms grow sweaty. A stirring violin accompaniment rose up. The singer began the first verse.

'You can do this,' James told himself. 'You practiced. You can do it.'

Other couples around the room were making their way to the dance floor. James' eyes flickered to Katie.

She seemed enraptured in the song, her head tilted and her lips curved upward softly. His heart swelled. He could do this.

Slowly, James stood from his chair. Katie blinked up at him. He offered a hand.

A grin came onto her face, and she accepted without hesitation. James lead her over to the center of the room just as the second verse was beginning. He placed one hand on her waist, and she settled hers on his shoulder. Taking in a deep breath, he took a moment to find the beat, then started them off at an easy tempo.

'One-two-three, one-two-three,' he reminded himself. He thought he was doing fairly well, if he was honest. The music swelled, and James gained the courage to give Katie a little twirl.

When she came back around, her eyebrows were high in surprise. "I didn't know you could dance."

James gave her another spin. "I couldn't, but then I stayed up all night watching tutorial videos online."

Katie's hand flew to her mouth in an attempt to stifle her burst of laughter. He grinned, slowly easing them into a bit of a faster pace. James watched as she followed him, eyes shining in delight. The music began to build to a crescendo. A move from the video came to mind, and with her bright smile encouraging him, he gave her a little lift.

As he set her down, Katie's eyes had never looked more beautiful. The song dipped in volume. James gave her a shy grin.

And then, she shocked him.

Katie leaned up and kissed him— just a peck. But it was firm and purposeful, taking him completely by surprise given how nervous she'd been about the whole thing the past couple of weeks.

When she stepped back, she gazed deep into his eyes. "Just wanted to make sure everyone knows _you're_ taken, too."

The possessiveness of her words made him swoop down to capture her lips with his. He heard her hum contentedly against him, and for the first time in his life, James wanted to forget anything even remotely resembling protocol and propriety. All he felt like doing was taking her away and kissing her until they were both gasping for air.

But instead, he kept his cool. His lips left hers after a few tantalizing seconds, and he pulled her flush against him. "I love you," he murmured, brushing his lips along her hairline.

He leaned back in time to see her sigh happily. Her arms came up to hook around his neck. "I love you, too, James," she whispered.

Screw it, he couldn't help himself. James pressed yet another quick kiss to her lips, and when they parted, the couple giggled, silly love struck grins stretching across their mouths.

Off to the side of the ballroom, Hunk was trying his best not to burst into tears. "Dang it, they're just so CUTE!" he cried.

Most of the Paladins and MFE's around him agreed, of course, with Rizavi clasping her hands and sighing as she watched them. Even Leifsdottir had a rare smile twitching up on her lips.

Kinkade looked at them and shook his head. "I worry you're both trying to live through them vicariously."

Rizavi waved a hand. "Shut up, Ry-Ry, so are you. They're adorable."

The dark skinned pilot hummed noncommittally. The trio continued watching their commander few more moments before Ryan cleared his throat and held out a hand. "Either of you want to join them? We're probably expected to."

Rizavi's eyes twinkled. "Oooh, so we can go spy?"

Kinkade rolled his eyes and began to open his mouth, but Leifsdottir cut him off. "Romelle has glanced in your direction nine times within the past ten minutes. Go ask her to dance instead."

The man raised an eyebrow and turned his head. Sure enough, Romelle was staring at him. The Altean gave a shy wave, her face turning pink, and Kinkade nodded at her cordially.

His grey eyes flickered back to Leifsdottir. "And here I thought Nadia was the self-proclaimed matchmaker of the group."

"Stop stalling!" Rizavi hissed, pushing Kinkade in Romelle's direction. She and Ina watched as their friend made his way through the small crowd that separated them.

Kinkade wasted no time at all— inclining his head and offering a hand. Romelle's face lit up in delight, and Rizavi punched the air with a quiet "yes!"

The two made their way to a spot on the dance floor near Katie and James. Kinkade glanced over at them for approval, and Ina gave a thumbs up. The two women observed him and Romelle for a few minutes. Romelle was all sparkling eyes and rambling sentences, while Ryan was careful nods and lips pursed in thought.

"They're night and day," Nadia noted.

Ina's eyes flickered over to their squadron leader. "Most would say the same about them, at first glance."

Rizavi followed her gaze. Her heart melted a little. Griffin and Katie were nose to nose, whispering something as they gazed at each other with half lidded eyes. James gave his girlfriend a chaste kiss, and she giggled.

Nadia sighed, actually beginning to feel little happy tears form in the corners of her eyes. "They really do deserve each other," she sniffed. "I'm so happy for them."

Leifsdottir nodded in agreement before she subtly looked to her left. "I wish everyone shared the same opinion," she muttered under her breath.

A few feet over, a certain red Paladin was becoming a huffy mess. "Can you believe him, being all over her like that? It's completely ridiculous! Hasn't he ever heard to lay off the PDA?"

Next to him, a black Paladin was resisting the urge to bash his right hand man's head in. "Get over it," Keith hissed. "Can't you just be happy for her? I'm tired of hearing you complain all the time."

Lance crossed his arms indignantly. "I just think he's being disrespectful," he clarified. "This is a formal event. He should have more decorum or whatever."

Keith rolled his eyes and passed Shiro a look. They'd been witnessing more and more of this kind of behavior from Lance lately, and neither of them knew what to make of it. At first it had seemed like a protective instinct, which they all understood, of course. Pidge held a special place in all of their hearts.

But lately, Lance's snide comments and random suspicions just seemed childish and immature. It was really starting to grate on Keith's nerves, and he knew Shiro felt the same. He glanced at Lance, then back at Shiro in a silent question.

"Patience yields focus," Shiro mouthed. Keith snickered. Sometimes his adoptive brother was just so cheesy.

Back in the center of the ballroom, Katie and James were oblivious to it all. It was as though the music had captured them in a little world of their own. No one was staring at them. There weren't any whispers flooding the room. It was just them.

James's hand shifted from her waist to her hair, gently tucking it behind her ear. Instantly, a burst of heat filled his girlfriend's eyes.

"Kinda wish we weren't here anymore," she commented.

A wave of desire crashed over him. James hummed lowly, his grip on her tightening. "Me too."

"Think they'd notice if we escaped?"

"Not only would they notice— I'm pretty sure the Paladins would have my head for sneaking off with you."

Katie cracked up a bit, and James smiled. He knew what she meant, though. He was still fighting the urge to take her away to some deserted corner and kiss her. But instead, he contented himself with slowly swaying with her back and forth, ignoring everything and everyone around them.

They stayed that way until the music ended. The gala began winding down, and when he was called up to speak, James found himself talking to an audience of one. No one else existed— it was just her, watching him from her seat at their table with a proud smile on her lips.

And as he talked about things like how the war made them both gain and lose, understand the value of life and having harmony among all aspects of it, he caught his thoughts drifting toward the idea that such a life with Katie was the most wonderful idea he'd ever heard of.

* * *

 **Cute conclusion, right? Don't worry, this story is far from over.**

 **Please leave a review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello everyone! You're gonna start noticing some time jumps, but don't worry, I'll always make it clear when the chapter is set. With that being said…oh boy, here we go.**

* * *

Lance McClain liked to think that he knew Pidge better than anyone. She was smart— like, _crazy_ smart. Her hair and her eyes sort of matched color. She has an obsession with anything peanut butter flavored. Mentioning video games made her immediately challenge you to play one with her. Her favorite color was green. She and Hunk had some weird inside joke about double modulating. She hated when Coran called her Number Five. And also, she was actually kind of pretty.

If only he hadn't realized these things too late.

Guess he _had_ been distracted by Allura all those years, but who wouldn't be? Allura was incredible, a goddess in her own right. Pidge was special in a different way, and it just took more time for Lance to see that. But as time went on, the more he saw, the more he liked. It didn't take too long after Allura's rejection for Lance's affections to settle on Pidge.

Then came in pretty boy.

Lance honestly had no idea what Pidge saw in that guy. He was stiff, boring, and way too uptight. Plus, it was like he barely smiled. Lance and Pidge smiled all the time when they were together! Why would she go for someone like him?!

That was really the question that bothered Lance the most. Of all the people in the world she had to date, she had to date _him_. At first, Lance wondered if Griffin had some sort of trick. Maybe his pick up lines were really good, or maybe he lied to her and was putting on a charming facade. Lance once even wondered if he had some magical spell that made girls fall for him.

Either way, it infuriated Lance like nothing ever had before. The one time he thought he'd get a chance with a girl he was interested in, she was snatched away right in front of his eyes by a guy she'd never even met.

Because that was the thing, wasn't it? Lance and Pidge had history. They'd fought monsters, infiltrated battleships, made their way through war zones, imprisonment, and everything else the universe had thrown at them. Wasn't that supposed to mean something?

To Lance it did, but maybe it didn't to her. Maybe all of it was his imagination, the twinkle in her eyes when she'd joke with him about something or the determined grin she'd give when they played video games. The thought of it all being just in his head drove him crazy, and he half wondered if maybe he was.

But worst of all was the fact that all of it made his insecurities haunt him more than ever before. Here he was, his heart chasing after another girl who clearly chose someone else. It pained him, and each night he would lie awake just _wondering_.

Wondering what it would've been like if he'd told her before she started seeing Griffin. Wondering what would've happened if he'd stepped in and told her his suspicions about her new boyfriend at the beginning. Wondering what would happen even _now_ all this time later if he got up the courage to confess.

And perhaps that's why, on the night before their cursed one year anniversary, Lance finally decided to act.

* * *

When Katie Holt woke up on November first, she was beaming.

Why? Because today was the day— the day that she and James had been dating for a whole year.

To be honest, Katie had never really understood dating anniversaries before. It wasn't like the couples were married or anything, so the celebration had always seemed rather pointless to her. But today, as she practically jumped out of bed and ran toward the shower, it suddenly all made sense.

While she skipped around her room getting ready, it was kind of difficult to believe this day had finally come. They'd known it was going to happen, obviously— he was taking her out for dinner at The Centre that night because of it. But time had seemed to fly by so quickly. She could remember bumping into him in the hallway and going on their first date like it was yesterday.

Katie sighed happily, doing a little twirl into her closet. She made quick work of buttoning up her lab coat and tucking James' dog tags underneath. True to her word, she had never been without them unless absolutely necessary. Something about their presence soothed her, and on the rare occasion she had forgotten them, she'd find herself running back to her room to get them. Not wearing his dog tags just felt weird at this point.

A memory came flooding back to her, and she giggled. She and James had been walking Bae Bae just a month ago when he came to a sudden halt. When she asked what was wrong, he'd just stood there with his mouth hung open in horror for a moment before he confessed that he wasn't wearing the bracelet she made him.

The ensuing journey back to get said item had been hilarious, as she watched him ramble nonsensically about how on earth he could've forgotten to put it on that morning. It was adorable, of course, and then funny when she realized that she had done the exact same thing before with his dog tags. It was weird how attached they were to these little symbols of their love. They had become such an integral part of their relationship without them even realizing it.

Feeling like she was walking on cloud nine, Katie finally made her way to the door. When she opened it, her heart melted. There was a little rose attached to the handle by a ribbon. Next to it was a folded note.

A fuzzy warmth ran through her as she opened it.

 _My darling Katie,_

 _Good morning! Can you believe it's November first? It feels like this year passed so quickly, even though I've treasured every moment. I can't wait for many more._

 _See you tonight,_

 _James_

 _P.S. I love you so much._

Katie's heart squeezed. What did she ever do to deserve such a wonderful man?

She detached the flower from the handle, took a long sniff, and sighed. He really did spoil her sometimes. If it wasn't for her shift in twenty minutes, she would go hunt him down to give a thank you kiss. But, she knew she needed to get breakfast first, so with a twinge of regret, she filled a glass with water and placed the rose on her desk before she left.

The entire day passed by in a blur, and for that, she was grateful. All she could think about was what she would wear that night (and what _he_ would wear that night). Plus, he'd mentioned something about a surprise after dinner, and his surprises were always the best.

To put it plainly, Katie Holt was so head over heels in love, and she loved it. She loved him, she loved their lives together, she loved how he made her feel like the most special woman in the entire world every single day. She wouldn't trade it for anything, and she was starting to realize that more and more each day. A life without James just seemed inconceivable. A life with James sounded like a dream come true.

Katie glanced up at the clock on the wall of her laboratory. Only one more hour until she got off, and then she'd have another hour to get ready. The all too familiar sensation of desire stirred within her. She already knew she was going to need to kiss him the second she saw him— they hadn't even been able to catch each other at lunch earlier. Something about an emergency meeting he'd had to attend.

So perhaps that's why, when she heard the lab door open, she spun around with hopeful eyes.

Her gaze fell on Lance. She tried to not look disappointed, even though her enthusiasm dropped.

"Oh, hey, Lance," she greeted. "Need something?"

Her fellow Paladin fidgeted awkwardly. She scanned him. That was weird…Lance was more…stiff than usual. He wasn't meeting her eyes, either. Katie immediately knew something was off.

"Pidge, can we…talk about something?"

Katie quirked an eyebrow. His voice had a weird edge to it.

She tried to act natural. "Yeah sure, what's up? Is it the new upgrade in Red? I know Hunk said Yellow needed a few adjustments, so I can take a look."

Lance shook his head. "No, it's— it's nothing like that." His mouth began to open again, but he stopped. The room fell silent.

Her arms crossing, Katie looked up at the clock. "Well, go on then. I don't have all day— I have my date with James in a bit."

Something in Lance's eyes changed. Quiznak, something in the entire _room_ changed. Katie had no idea what to think of it, so she just waited as Lance seemed to contemplate his words, her heart quickening a little at the sudden tension in the air. Had something happened with the team that she didn't know about? Did he have some sort of bad news? Whatever it was, she had no idea, and that made her all the more anxious.

Finally, Lance took in a deep breath. His eyes lifted to meet hers. She was surprised at the strain they held.

"Pidge, there's…there's something I've needed to tell you for a while, now," he began. She nodded neutrally, and he continued. "I— I don't think Griffin is the right guy for you."

Defensiveness spiked up before she could control it. She found herself scowling, stomping up to him and stopping a few feet in front of him. "Seriously, Lance? How could you still be acting like this? It's been a year, and he treats me just fine. I don't get why you always think something is about to go wrong between us! I mean, do you really think that I would—"

"Hear me out," Lance interrupted, his expression pained. "I'm not saying it because I think he's a bad guy, but…I just don't think he's the _right_ one."

The young woman rubbed her eyes and let out a loud sigh. "If this is all you have to say, then just leave. I don't want to hear it."

Lance's face twisted. His eyes were searching hers, but she just stared back tiredly. She'd realized long ago that Lance would never truly approve of her and James— not like everyone else had. And while it frustrated her to no end, she knew she couldn't change his mind. He'd decided they weren't a good match for some stupid reason or another. But for him to come in and say this on their one year anniversary? She wanted to push him out the door for pulling such a jerk move.

Then, something changed. His expression, which she could tell he'd been trying to keep as neutral as possible, cracked. Lance's tense shoulders fell, and he groaned, putting his head in his hands.

"Quiznak, Pidge, I— I'm just gonna say it," he grumbled. His hands dropped.  
Serious blue eyes met hers. "You and Griffin wound up dating a lot longer than I thought you guys would, and I figured that once you broke up, I could say this, but I just— Pidge, I think I'm in love with you."

Katie Holt felt like time had stopped. Her chest suddenly felt hollow, and she wasn't even sure if she was breathing. All she knew was that her eyes were widening in shock. That, and Lance was slowly closing the distance between them.

"I— I know this is crazy, and I know this is bad timing, but I can't let you two keep dating. You barely know the guy. We've known each other for years! And we have way more in common, and I care more about you than he does, and I just— I _know_ I could make you happier than him, Pidge!"

Her body had turned numb. Lance took one more step forward. Katie vaguely registered that she took one back.

Lance's eyes were pleading. " _Please_ , Pidge, you have to believe me. I can't stand seeing you with him knowing that I would be better for you."

Something about that sentence finally made her rush back to reality. "L-Lance—" she started. She wished her voice wasn't shaking. "Lance, you— get out right now."

Blue eyes widened. "But—"

"And if you don't," Katie interrupted, "I have no problem never seeing you again. If you actually cared about me, you'd want me to be happy. And I _am_ happy. _James_ makes me happy."

His face twisted. He stepped closer. "But I—"

"Stop," she warned.

An air of desperation took hold of him. Another step. "Pidge, just—"

She stepped back.

Lance groaned. He grabbed her wrist before she could see it coming. "Just _listen_ to me!"

She nearly gasped in pain at how _hard_ he gripped her. It was harder than she'd known he was capable of. And much harder than she ever thought he would use against her.

"Pidge," he tried again, tone suddenly calm. "I know this all came out of nowhere, but I'm being serious. I love you, and I'm not going to watch you falling all over him like you do anymore. You _have_ to know I'm being honest, Pidge."

His voice was so off-puttingly gentle, the complete opposite of his actions. His hold on her wrist was still unbearably tight. Katie wondered why she felt frozen. She'd faced down worse than this before, so why couldn't she move?

Lance's eyes softened. "I get it, you're confused about where all of this came from, but just trust me. Call things off with Griffin tonight, we can go talk about it more—"

That's when she snapped. Katie wrenched her wrist out of his hand. She staggered back against the wall— it wasn't far enough, but it was the only place left to go. He'd already backed her up so much.

A second later, Katie summoned her crackling bayard into her hand. Her wrist felt burned by his touch, but she held the weapon steady. She watched with narrow eyes as Lance blinked, weighing his options.

At this point, she didn't know what to think or feel. All she knew was that she was trembling for reasons she didn't understand, and she wanted him gone.

A tense moment passed before Lance swallowed. "Katie, just listen to me, I—"

She felt sick. It sounded so _wrong_ coming out of his mouth. That name belonged to her family and her James, no one else. Lance didn't get to walk in here and act like he knew what's best for her. He had no right to tell her who to love, to tell her she'd made some sort of mistake. James was the best decision she'd ever made in her entire life, that she knew for certain.

Katie's grip on her bayard tightened.

"Get out of my lab," she spat darkly. "And don't come near me until you're ready to apologize."

Lance jolted in surprise. "Katie, I—"

"And don't think I'm not telling James about this," she cut him off, teeth clenched in a growl. "I've _had_ it with how you treat him, and it ends now. Either get over yourself or get lost."

Suddenly, it seemed to click. Lance's eyes widened. He stumbled back, mouth dropped open in horror. He tripped over his feet, and finally, he ran out of the room.

The second he was gone, Katie dropped her bayard. And like a spell, the sound of it clattering to the ground made her break out of her daze.

She fell back onto the wall, bursting into tears and sinking to the floor. On instinct, her heart reached out to the first source of comfort she could think of.

A wave of terror spilled over her bond with Green. Her lion was quick to respond.

 ** _My Paladin?! What is wrong?! Tell me!_**

 _Get James_ , she begged. _Send him to me. **Please.**_

She registered a loud roar, then the presence of her lion leaving her mind before she felt herself begin to drown into sudden hysteria.

No, no, _no_ , this wasn't supposed to happen. That couldn't have happened, right? It didn't make any sense. Why would Lance say those things? Why did he think he could come here and do that?

Dizziness overcame Katie as her brain tried to process everything that just went on. Had she really threatened him? Did he intentionally seek her out when he knew she'd be alone? Why had she felt so trapped? Did anyone else know about this?

Loving brown eyes entered her mind, and a whimper crawled up her throat. She needed him. She needed—

The door to her lab slammed open.

Even through the tears, she could tell immediately who it was. Katie reached a hand out to him. "J-James—" Her voice cut off with a sob.

He fell to his knees in front of her and scooped her into his arms, wrapping her tight in his warm embrace. "Shhh, it's okay, it's okay," he soothed. "It's all going to be okay, just tell me what happened."

Katie gasped for air. "L-Lance, he— he tried to— I don't _know_ ," she cried. "I don't _know_ what happened!"

James tensed under her. "Did he hurt you? Katie, you have to tell me if he—"

She shook her head vehemently. "No, no not like that, he—" Her voice broke. Katie squeezed her eyes shut, willing the tears to stop. "H-He said that I'd be better with h-him, not…not you."

If rage could be expressed as a temperature, then she was sure her boyfriend would be boiling hot right now. She could hear the intentionally measured tone as he swallowed and said, "I see."

Katie shivered. James had never sounded so cold before.

She clutched at his uniform tightly. "I'm s-sorry, James, you know I'd never—"

" _You_ don't apologize," he cut her off firmly, leaning back to meet her eyes seriously. "This wasn't your fault. You didn't ask for it. _He_ was the one who was way out of line. You understand that?"

Katie nodded tearfully, and after a moment, James sighed. "I'm sorry, I need to calm down," he muttered through gritted teeth. She watched as her boyfriend hung his head, took in a few deep breaths, then relaxed his shoulders.

When he looked back up at her, his beautiful brown eyes were filled with compassion. "What do you need?" he whispered. "What do you want from me right now? Tell me, please."

"I don't know," Katie whimpered. "I don't know anything. I-I'm just— _scared_ , and worried, and things will never be the same after this, and I don't know what to do or how I'll be able to be around him anymore, and that affects Voltron, and if the universe needs us— but what if I don't even _want_ to be in Voltron anymore? How can I? I don't want to see him ever again, not after that, and—" Another round of tears burst forth.

James took her back into his arms, swaying her gently. He stroked her hair. "You don't have to decide any of those things right now," he murmured. "Take your time. You're right— things can't go back to normal after this. But right now, don't think about Voltron or the universe or anything. Just think about you, how you feel, what would make things better."

She took in his words slowly, and suddenly, a weight like she'd never experienced before began to crush her chest.

She had to tell him. She had to tell him the truth.

"I—" she started. He let go of her just enough to see her, and her heart twisted. "I-I have to confess something."

James just nodded. Katie felt like she was going to be sick.

"I…I used to like him, w-when I first started at the Garrison, and…and for a little while when we became Paladins. We— I don't know, he was nice, and…and I'd never had a friend like him before, so…so I kinda fell for him. But then he was always talking about Allura, and how great she was and— I just _knew_ I could never live up to that. I wasn't her. I wasn't what he wanted. I couldn't be."

Katie dared to look up before she continued. His eyes looked broken. She couldn't entirely figure out why, but she forced herself to keep going.

"And then _you_ walked into my life, and…and everything changed," she told him. "I hadn't liked him in years, but you showed me that you loved me for me. I didn't have to be better or anything, I could just be me and that was enough. It all just clicked, unlike it had with him. And I haven't thought of him that way since, I swear."

James lifted his hand, smoothing his thumb over her cheek and wiping away one of her fallen tears. "I wouldn't have thought you had anyways," he assured her. "I trust you to know you wouldn't do that to me."

Katie nodded quickly in agreement, and James let out a breath he'd been holding. It seemed to her he was trying to find the right words, but what could be said? This had been thrown in their faces at the worst possible time, and neither of them knew how to react to it.

Then, James looked up.

"First of all, I want you to know that you are completely right about one thing: you _are_ my first choice."

Fresh tears formed in Katie's eyes.

"You do not come in second place in my eyes, and you never will," James promised. "No one compares to you, Katie. You are perfect just the way you are, and I will never expect you to change."

She felt another sob coming on, but she fought it down and nodded.

Her boyfriend's eyes softened. "Now, what do you want me to do about this? Whatever you want, I'll do it. Do you want me to talk to Shiro or Keith? I think someone needs to know."

Katie immediately shook her head. "I don't wanna make things worse."

James' lips pulled into a frown. "Katie—"

"No," she decided, sniffling lightly. "I'm handling this myself. We'll make everything go back to normal somehow."

He looked like he wanted to argue. Honestly, part of her wanted him to. But then, he slowly nodded. "If that's what you want."

Her heart twisted. _Was_ it what she wanted? She had no idea. She didn't have a clue as to what to do in this situation. This was just the first thing she thought she should do. Handle it on her own like she always did.

Part of her realized that she shouldn't shoulder this alone. She knew James wanted to help, but for some reason, she still felt this must somehow be her fault. And that being the case, she needed to deal with the consequences, not him.

Katie's eyes lifted, searching her boyfriend's to try to figure out what was going through his head. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you before," she apologized in a small voice. "I didn't think something like this would ever happen. I should've seen it coming, or—"

But James was shaking his head. He leaned forward, effectively stopping her rambling by resting his forehead against hers. "I am yours," he murmured. "Nothing's stopping that. Besides, you knew I used to like Leifsdottir when we were kids, right?"

She nodded. James sighed, then wrapped her in his warm embrace once again. She sniffled into his neck. One of his hands began to thread through her hair. "People change, Katie. I've chosen you, and you've chosen me. Lance will just have to get over himself."

Katie gave a watery laugh and rubbed at her eyes. "That's what _I_ told him."

"Great minds think alike," he chuckled wryly. He leaned back, tilting his head. "Are you still up for our anniversary date tonight? I understand if you aren't."

She hesitated. "I wanna go, just...I think I want to talk with my parents about this first. I think they could help know how to…how to handle it."

James nodded. He got up from his kneeling position slowly, then offered her a hand up. She tried to not grimace when his fingers brushed her wrist. Her skin still felt like it was burning.

The walk to her parent's room was silent. She knew they'd be there— her father should have just gotten off his shift at the usual time. And though they had never been a couple for anything more than holding hands in the hallway, James' arm stayed wrapped around her waist the entire trip. She would thank him eternally for that support later.

When they arrived at the room, James took her hands in his. "I guess I'll see you later?"

"Mmhm." Her eyes were downcast. Her boyfriend squeezed her hands lightly, and she looked up at him with sad eyes. She still felt like she couldn't read what was going through his mind. What if he doubted her love for him now? What if he wondered if she'd actually choose Lance over him?

"I…" she trailed off. "You know I love you, right?"

"And _I_ love _you_ ," James said firmly. "Nothing is changing that, Katie."

She let out a shaky breath, nodding. James' eyes softened. "Go talk with them about it— take as much time as you need."

She nodded again, and James leaned down, pressing the sweetest of kisses to her forehead.

"I'll see you soon," he whispered. "This doesn't change anything between us, Katie, I promise."

* * *

Those words played in her mind on repeat for the next several hours as she talked with her parents. Her father was furious, of course— he wanted Lance kicked off Garrison grounds effective immediately. And her mother, well, safe to say she was more than ready to march up to Lance's room and do it on her own.

But after Katie had insisted against it, the two calmed down and began to think more rationally. It was a strange situation and had to be handled with care— they couldn't let their emotions get the best of them.

To put it short, her parents had told her that life and feelings were complicated. That they always would be. And that things with Lance would heal. Probably not anytime soon, but eventually, given time.

And even though she knew (or at least hoped) it was all true, none of their words seemed to make her feel better. She just felt hollow, almost like a ghost as hours later, eyes red and puffy, she finally made her way to James' room.

She knew it was far past their reservation time at the restaurant. She hated that she couldn't get herself together to go, but everything just felt off right now. Nothing was making sense, and honestly, she didn't want to go on a date and try to give James fake smiles. He deserved more than that.

When she arrived at James' door, she felt her heart wrench. She'd never experienced hesitation before with him. She couldn't stand how she did, now. After some awkward fiddling with her sleeves, Katie forced herself to knock on the door.

There was some shuffling before her boyfriend opened it. "Hey," he greeted softly.

"Hi." Katie's eyes flickered down. Why did she feel at a loss for words? She couldn't recall ever feeling this way before around James.

One of his hands came forward. She tried to not flinch. He walked her into his room, then shut the door behind them. He turned back around to look at her. Katie wrapped her arms around herself uncomfortably. It felt like she could practically hear the gears turning in his head.

"So…do you still feel like going out anywhere?" he asked.

She just shook her head.

There was the sound of footsteps, and within a few moments, Katie was being held in a warm embrace. The hollow sensation that had taken control for hours suddenly melted away. She held on tight, burying her head into his chest and breathing in his scent. Why had she questioned if she wanted to see him or not? If anything, she needed him now more than ever.

He swayed her gently back and forth. "We'll reschedule our date," James promised. "Don't worry about a thing, okay? Just…tell me what you need right now. Anything."

Katie sighed, then took a moment to consider it. "Could you…could you give me a back massage? Like last week?"

He hummed. "Of course."

He lead her over to his bed slowly. She was reluctant to let go, but she knew she had to. Holding in another sigh, she untangled herself from James and made herself comfy on his bed, lying face down. She snuggled into his pillow, taking in his cologne and letting the scent calm her further.

The bed dipped as James sat down next to her. She felt his fingers on the edge of her shirt, tugging it up to expose her lower back. The memory of his blush (as well as her own) the first time he had done this for her came flooding back. And despite the oddness of the day, it made her smile.

Warm hands scratched over her skin lightly. "Where do you need it?"

"Everywhere," Katie mumbled. "Just put me to sleep."

There was a chuckle. "Yes, ma'am."

James set his hands at the base of her spine. He began to rub in circles, and she hummed contentedly. Her eyes fell closed. Katie let herself begin to drift off to dreamland, more than happy to allow her boyfriend to spoil her after this exhausting day.

Several minutes passed by in comfortable silence. After a brief pause of James' hands, there was a shift on the bed. Katie registered a new sensation. It was soft and slow, drifting down her spine to her lower back. It found its way up again, and then, a hot puff of air caressed her skin.

Katie's eyes flashed open. Those were James' _lips_.

He hovered tantalizingly over her for another moment before he finally pressed them against her skin.

She gasped. " _James_ —"

"I love you," he murmured lowly, effectively cutting her off. "I love every piece of you, every inch, every detail. Today…" he stopped, then sighed. Katie shuddered when his warm breath hit her spine again. "Hearing you talk about how you felt before…like you weren't good enough or weren't desirable…it broke my heart."

His hands took her hips, and gently, he rolled her over to face him. James' brown eyes were burning into hers, a mixture of passion and firm commitment.

"I want to show you everything that I love about you," he finished.

She shivered under his heated gaze. Katie knew her body was already far too warm for her to think coherently. She had no idea what he had planned— all she knew was that she trusted him. So without hesitation, she nodded.

But unlike she'd expected, James didn't lean up to capture his lips with hers. Instead, he scooted further down, settling himself at her feet. He took one of them in his hands and pressed a kiss to her ankle, and for the next several minutes, Katie listened in a daze as he began to kiss his way up her body, all the while going on and on about all the different things he liked about her.

And then it hit her— he was literally showing her everything he loved about her. He was listing all of it: how he thought her tiny feet were cute, how he loved that her body was the perfect size for cuddling with him, how he adored the scar on her knee because of the story she'd told him about getting it when she was a kid.

This was the last thing she had expected him to do after kissing her back so intimately like that, and she found herself speechless in the best way possible. The way he just kept talking…it was almost like he truly could never stop finding things he loved about her.

But then, a pit of dread settled in her stomach. Katie watched as his eyes trailed up to her hand. When they reached their destination, his breath hitched. She knew why.

She dared to follow his gaze, taking in the dark purple dots that encircled her wrist. She'd noticed them while earlier talking with her parents and had been quick to cover them up with her other hand. Guess her boyfriend's affections had made her forget to keep it hidden.

James stared at the marks in a daze. Katie turned her head away, ashamed for reasons she couldn't understand.

"I just bruise easily," she whispered, as though that fact could provide some form of comfort. "It doesn't hurt."

She felt anger rolling off of James in waves, and she squeezed her eyes shut, new tears springing up in the corner of her eyes. Part of her still blamed herself for what happened. Now she was terrified that he was starting to think the same.

But he surprised her again. He lifted her wrist to his lips. She opened her eyes just as he kissed the marks with a level of tenderness she had never seen before.

"I'm so sorry," he choked. Something seemed to occur to him suddenly, and his eyes widened in fear. "I— have I ever—"

"No," she cut him off. "No, you never have."

James took in a shaky breath, nodding. His eyes trailed over the bruises again, the look in them darkening slightly. "This shouldn't have happened. You _shouldn't_ have these."

A tear spilled over. "I-It's okay."

His eyes told her that it wasn't, but he didn't say it out loud. Instead, he swallowed hard and continued with his previous mission. "I love your fingers," he told her. "They're adorable, and fit perfectly with mine, and your touch makes me feel invincible, like I— like _we_ can accomplish anything."

James looked up in time to see her bottom lip tremble. He set her wrist back down carefully. Then, he shifted one final time, placing himself nose to nose with her.

"Your eyes are my second favorite thing about you," he breathed. "They're golden and beautiful, _so_ beautiful, and I never want to spend a single day without seeing them."

Katie had never felt more overwhelmed in her entire life. She felt like she was about to burst, but not in the bad way she had earlier— no, instead her heart was filling with joy, the kind that she knew she could never describe properly because its expanse reached far beyond anything words could ever explain.

Slowly, she reached up and cupped James' face. His eyes closed at the contact.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for doing this."

Brown eyes flickered open, and for the first time that night, his serious expression traded for amusement. "I'm not done," he assured her. "I haven't told you my favorite part, yet."

His gaze drifted down to her lips. Her stomach flipped.

"Okay then, tell me," she said, a note of a challenge in her voice.

James' smile grew brighter. "You're smarter than me— how about you tell me the answer? I'm sure you could guess."

His voice stirred something in her. All of the sudden, today hadn't happened. Nothing weird had gone on. There weren't bruises around her wrist. It was just the two of them, having their usual teasing banter, the kind they always had when they got caught up in a moment like this.

And that's how Katie Holt found herself rolling her eyes and saying, "Are you gonna kiss me or what?"

A spark lit in James' eyes. He answered quickly.

He pressed his lips to hers, as sweet and sincere as could be, and Katie closed her eyes. No more doubting. No more worrying. This— _he_ was what she wanted, and no one was taking him away from her. She'd fight tooth and nail for their happiness, no matter the cost.

* * *

When Katie woke up the next morning, she wondered why something felt off. She couldn't quite remember why…and then the memories of being backed against the wall of her lab hit her like a freight train.

She lifted her wrist. Purple marks glared back at her as confirmation.

Katie took in a sharp breath. Right. _That_ had happened.

Her eyes drifted over to James' dog tags on her nightstand. A sinking feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. James was on patrol all day today. Which meant…

The Paladin's heart wrenched. That meant she was all alone.

She hated how on edge she felt as she forced herself to get up and get ready for the day. She hated how she felt pathetic each time she looked at her wrist and felt the panic from yesterday begin to claw at her heart again. She hated how she didn't even want to leave her room out of fear of running into Lance.

Because that was the thing, wasn't it? He was unavoidable. They worked together every single day. There was no way she could get him out of her life even just temporarily to give her time to accept what had happened.

But then she shook her head and grit her teeth. She was Katie Holt, the green Paladin, the woman who planned to save every world she could one way or another. She wouldn't be scared of anybody, no matter who they were or what they'd done.

Even still, Katie made a point of making sure she wore a shirt with sleeves long enough to cover her wrists. If she was truly going to deal with this on her own, then she needed to make sure no one saw them.

Or worse, that no one thought it had been James who had given them to her.

As Katie made her way down to the cafeteria, she found herself running her thumb over James' dog tags. Her pulse was racing, but for some reason the feeling of the familiar engraving was soothing. Her heart ached. She wished James could actually be there with her. And of course she knew he wished the same— he'd practically had to tear himself away from her last night to let her go to sleep.

The doors to the cafeteria were in front of her. Katie took in a deep breath. They slid open. She walked through.

Her eyes scanned the room before she could stop herself. And of course, they landed on none other than the one person she didn't want to see right now.

Lance was sitting at the usual Paladin table. A jolt of anxiety ran through her when his eyes flickered up to meet hers.

She looked away. Katie made her way over to the food line, all the while clutching the dog tags as tightly as she could.

There were eyes on the back of her head— she could feel it. It made her skin crawl. She tried to ignore it.

But then there were footsteps. She was almost at the end of the line, and one of the exits was in sight. Maybe if she moved fast enough, she could leave and go to her lab to eat. Yeah, that sounded—

"Hey."

Katie froze. Her head turned slowly. Lance's eyes were boring desperately into hers.

"Pidge, I— I think we had a misunderstanding yesterday," he said, his voice dipping low so no one could hear. "Could we go talk about it? Privately?"

Her mouth wouldn't work. It had gone dry, and all she could do was tell herself to try to not freak out when she saw his hand begin to move toward hers.

Katie managed to take a step back. "Lance, leave. I'm not saying it again."

His brow furrowed. "Pidge, come on, you know we need to talk about—"

A feminine voice cut him off, calculating and cold. "I advise you to think twice before you do or say something you might regret."

Katie spun around to see none other than Ina Leifsdottir. Her face was stoic, but Katie could tell that one of her eyebrows was lifted slightly more than usual. Next to her was Nadia, who was wearing a smile so friendly it had to be fake.

A dangerous glint entered darker woman's eyes. "Yeah, I don't think any of us want to see how that would wind up. It could get ugly." Katie never did figure out what exactly the threat was— all she knew was that there was one clear as day in her tone.

Katie's eyes snapped back to Lance. He was blinking, eyes switching between the three of them like he was trying to figure out what to do next.

"I, um," he started. "Just find me later, Pidge, okay?"

An arm came around the petite Paladin's shoulder. "Nope, don't think she'll be able to. We're having girl time today," Nadia stated. Her voice left no room for argument.

Ina's chin tilted up. "You have five seconds to walk back to your table."

It seemed to finally click. Lance's mouth shut. His eyes flickered to Katie's, almost like he was begging her to ask them to stop. She just looked to the ground.

And finally, after what felt like an eternity, he walked away.

Time seemed to slow as Katie watched him return to the Paladins' table. All of her friend's faces were confused, looking back and forth between the trio of women and Lance. Whispers began to rise, and after Lance mumbled something indiscernible, they quickly turned heated.

Anxiety shot through her heart again. Great, now the news would start spreading. What if it affected their team? Would they still be able to work together— would they even be able to form Voltron with something like this going on? Quiznak, all of this just had to be her fault, right?

There was a light squeeze on her shoulders. Katie looked up to see Nadia giving her an ironic grin.

"Whew, boys, amiright?" she joked lightheartedly.

"They're the worst," Leifsdottir added. Something about her monotone wit made Katie laugh a bit.

With that, Nadia smiled triumphantly. She began steering Katie in the direction of a different table, far away from the Paladins. Whatever was going on, it seemed that Kinkade was part of the plan, too. He was already seated, his eyes scanning the room with a look that dared anyone to come up and ask what was going on.

Ina motioned for Katie to sit down. As soon as she did, she realized that the seat made it so her back was toward Lance. The position was intentional. Nadia and Ina were sitting on her other sides, and Kinkade was set perfectly so he could watch any movement behind her. This had been an organized effort.

Katie's heart warmed immediately. Something told her that James just had to be behind it all.

Her honey eyes flickered to Ryan, suddenly remembering Nadia's words from earlier. "So, are you joining us for girl time, too?" she inquired.

The darker man shook his head. "Nope, I'm just here for backup. You guys can go paint nails after breakfast."

Katie nodded, then gave the three a meaningful look. "Thank you, guys. I really appreciate it."

Rizavi grinned and bumped her shoulder. "Hey, you're dating our commander— you're one of us now!"

"Also, he may or may not have mentioned to keep an eye on a certain Paladin after an incident yesterday," Leifsdottir intoned.

Katie rolled her eyes fondly. And maybe, just maybe, that was the moment she decided she was going to marry that man. Because if he wanted her bad enough to make sure she was okay even when he had to be gone, then she'd gladly let him have her.

* * *

 **Yup, that happened. Please leave a review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi, I'm back. Life got a little crazy for…well, ever, so my sincerest apologies for leaving y'all in the void. I'm calling this Epilogue Part 1 because ONE OF Y'ALL wanted to see a certain thing, so here we go!**

 **Also random note: if you want listening music for this, the Avengers: Endgame soundtrack worked strangely well for me.**

* * *

He'd been planning to ask her to marry him for months. He just never thought it'd go like this.

After plenty of failed attempts, James had finally weaseled his way onto one of the Paladins' journeys. He knew they didn't like it— well, more specifically, they didn't like the fact that he stayed onboard Green with his girlfriend. Even though the couple had been dating for well over two years now, her teammates still had a problem with anything that could even slightly resemble impropriety.

And besides, there was nothing for them to worry about anyways. It had been easy enough to make one of Green's cargo holds into a spare bedroom.

Truth be told, he was glad they weren't sharing a room, if only for the fact that Katie was far too observant.

James glanced over at the small velvet box hidden on the top shelf of his closet. 'Soon,' he kept telling himself, but there was never a good moment. They were always busy, always being called to another meeting, always attending some formal event with dignitaries.

He enjoyed it all, of course, but the little box kept taunting him every extra day it stayed up on that shelf.

Sighing, James got up from his bed. Maybe he'd get a good opportunity within the next week before they returned home.

The MFE commander made his way to the bathroom, and when he got there, he couldn't help but smile.

"Good morning," James greeted happily.

His girlfriend gave a disgruntled look. "Morning."

Laughing, he came over and gave her a quick kiss. "Still half asleep?"

"Mmhm," she replied.

James chuckled. If there was one thing this trip had taught him, it's that being married to Katie (wow, what a magical thought that was) would be so much better than just dating her.

Living with her the past few weeks had given him a glimpse at an entirely other side of her, a side that made him even more eager to wake up every day, simply because he knew he would see her first thing.

Without hesitation, James picked a brush up off the counter and positioned himself behind her. He raked it through her hair, smiling softly when she closed her eyes and leaned back against him.

"You spoil me," she mumbled.

James leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "You deserve it. You sleep okay?"

She shrugged. "Pretty well, yeah."

"Just still tired?"

"Yeah."

He nodded understandingly. Their mission had taken them into deep space, much further than the Atlas could manage. He knew how exhausting piloting Green could be for her, given the sheer amount of quintessence she had to use to cover the vast distances they traveled. It amazed him that she was still holding up, but that was his Katie— resilient as always.

James continued in his ministrations for several more minutes, humming softly as he did. Katie eventually came to. She blinked her eyes open, turned around, and went up her toes to press her lips to his. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her against him gently, and she sighed sleepily. Gosh, _this_ was bliss. He knew he could never not start his day like this ever again.

"Thank you," she whispered when they parted. "Did you sleep well, too?"

"Yup," he said. "Was out like a light."

Katie half-glared at him. "Lucky."

James chuckled. "Want me to check the comms while you get ready?"

She replied with a nod, and he made sure to kiss her cheek before he left the bathroom.

James found his way through the winding corridors, all the while letting his fingertips trail along the walls. A familiar presence filled his head and began to prod at his mind insistently.

 ** _You should take your chance now, my Paladin's James._**

The man shook his head. "Not yet, Green, it needs to be the right time."

 ** _I believe the Earth saying is "there is no time like the present."_**

James chuckled. Green had been bugging him constantly the entire mission. Her curious nature was similar to that of her pilot's, and the moment he'd hidden the box, Green had sprung a thousand questions on him about what it was. And, well, suffice to say that it wasn't easy to lie to someone who was inside your head.

Reaching the cockpit, he sat down in the chair and patted the handles. "Soon, Green, I promise."

A happy purr ran through the cabin.

James grinned, then set about doing their routine morning checks. All seemed normal— no solar flares or supernovas in the vicinity to be concerned about, idle chatter ran through the intergalactic transmission system, and Hunk had sent a message saying Kosmo would be arriving soon with breakfast. All was well.

Content with his findings, James typed out a brief thank you to Hunk before he made his way back to their rooms.

Katie was standing in full Paladin armor now, even though her eyes betrayed her lack of sleep. She looked up upon hearing his footsteps. "Everything good?"

Unable to help himself, James gathered her in his arms. "Just fine, and breakfast is on its way," he hummed, swaying her gently.

Katie sighed, and her arms wound around his waist. "I can't wait for this trip to be over," she muttered. "I'm gonna sleep for a week."

"I'm sure you will," he laughed softly.

The pair fell quiet, basking in one another's presence. He had often found that long hugs helped Katie recuperate when she was stressed, and who was he to deny her of such a need?

They stayed that way for several minutes. Eventually, Katie lifted her head from his chest. "You go get ready— I'll take the controls."

"Yes, honey."

A little smile came onto her lips, and James snuck in one more peck before he went to his bedroom. He couldn't help but look back just before she disappeared down the hallway, her hand slipping behind the wall. Wonder how she would wear a ring with her armor?

 ** _There is only one way to find out, my Paladin's James._**

He chuckled. "I know, I know." As soon as he entered his room, James was drawn to the closet like a magnet. He opened the door and stared at the velvet box. Maybe he had been waiting too long. Maybe he should go ahead and ask her. After all, he knew what kind of woman Katie was— she wouldn't be mad at him for not choosing some stunning place to propose to her. No, instead she would probably prefer it to be a small, intimate moment between just the two of them. He'd learned over the years that grand shows of affection didn't matter too much to her, not as much as the little things.

James took in a shuddering breath. He reached up, took the ring box off the shelf, and opened it. It was perfect, or at least he and Katie's mother thought so. He had specifically asked for her help picking it out, even though he'd been the one to make the ultimate decision.

He wondered what her parents were thinking right now. Wondered if they were confused as to why they hadn't gotten a video call with the big news yet. He'd asked them about a week before they'd left for this voyage, and surely they'd expected for him to propose by now.

And what about her team? What if they didn't approve? They'd dealt with the Lance situation gracefully enough, but he knew he was still an outsider, though the Paladins had made some attempts to close the seemingly inevitable distance. The last thing James would ever want was to make her feel like she had to choose between being a Paladin and being with him. What if marriage forced her into that? Would the Paladins ever forgive him? Her? Them?

 ** _It does not matter what anyone else thinks, my Paladin's James,_** Green purred wisely, bringing his anxious thoughts to a halt. **_It is your heart and my Paladin's that decides._**

"You're right," James puffed out. Had his breathing gotten quicker? He hadn't even noticed. He groaned and rubbed his face with the hand that wasn't holding the ring box.

He knew the only reason this was difficult was because he loved her. That, and at the end of the day, he was still the shy, anxious guy who'd run into her in the hall several years ago. He knew he wanted her, more than anything. He wanted to cherish her, love her, provide for her, support her, do everything in his power to make her happy.

But this was a big decision. This was a lifelong commitment. This was…well, everything he'd always dreamed of, and somehow he was still scared he'd screw up.

"James?"

He practically jumped out of skin. "Y-Yes, honey?"

"Are you coming up to the front?" Katie's voice asked, a little fuzzy from the communicator on his nightstand. "Just picked up something on the radar— a distress signal. Shouldn't be anything bad, but we're gonna check it out."

"I'll be there in a minute," he replied. The line clicked off, and James sighed. His eyes drifted back to the ring. The single diamond sparkled up at him tauntingly.

The line clicked back on. "Oh, and James?"

He glanced up. "Uhuh?"

"I love you so much," Katie said. He could hear the smile in her tone. "Thank you for waking me up this morning— I don't know what I would do without you."

There was a moment of silence, during which a thousand thoughts and feelings ran through him. Overwhelming joy, to the point where he felt his eyes tearing up. Shame, due to letting his anxiety getting the better of him. Then finally, determination— because today was the day he was going to propose to her. No more waiting. No more worrying. She was the one, and he knew it.

"Now, hurry up before I come get you," she teased, completely oblivious to all that had just gone on in his head.

He chuckled. "I love you too, Katie. Be there soon."

James made quick work of getting dressed in his MFE armor. Once the final strap was secured, he took the ring box in his gloved hands. His heart was racing, but it was so sure. He closed the lid, then tucked it into his armor's side pouch on his hip.

His strides were long and determined as he found his way through Green to the main cabin. 'You can do this,' he told himself. 'The worst thing that could happen is she says no, which…oh crap, that would be awful, stop thinking about it!'

Desperate fingers found their way to the wall, and Green gave him the surge of encouragement he didn't know he'd needed. The little ring felt so heavy in his pouch. Was he actually about to do this? Was he really going to ask the girl of his dreams to marry him?

The resolved "yes" in his mind was cut off by a blast.

James let out a yell, his body being thrown into the wall. He managed to not hit his head on a pipe, though he wouldn't argue with the idea that perhaps Green had tossed up a protection barrier.

Disoriented as he was, James shook his head and began to get up. Another resounding hit threw him back off his feet. James groaned in pain. The interior of Green wasn't exactly a soft surface.

Then, his eyes flashed open in realization.

"Katie!" he shouted. He jumped up and ran. "Katie!"

Several more shots met their target, and it was all James could do to avoid being tossed to the floor again. Finally, he rushed into the cockpit, finding his girlfriend gritting her teeth in aggravation. Her screen was lit up in red warnings, not to mention the dozens of explosions laid out in front of them.

"Guess that something on the radar was bad after all?" he asked needlessly.

Golden eyes flicked to him. "You could say that. Space pirates."

"It's an ambush," he thought aloud. Katie just nodded.

Another blast shook the cabin. James tightened his grip on the pilot's chair. When the shaking subsided, he looked up at the new explosions with a grimace. "How are they—?"

"Our guess is motion detectors," Hunk replied over the comm.

There was a grunt, followed by Keith droning out, "No, really? I thought they just had lucky aim."

"Fantastic," Lance grumbled.

"What if we just stay still?" Allura questioned.

"Then we're sitting ducks," Keith answered. "Easier targets, if anything. Pidge, you got an idea?"

James wasn't overly fond of the silence that followed. Glancing down, his heart skipped a beat. He knew that look— that was the look Katie got when she had an idea that usually turned out really, really badly.

As though she could sense his thoughts, Katie looked up at James. She didn't take her eyes off his as she said, "I do, but none of you are gonna like it."

"I don't think liking it is an option at this point!" Lance snapped, then yelped as another blast hit him.

Keith sighed, "Whatever it is, get on it! We can only take so much more!"

Immediately, Katie turned to a panel on her armor. James watched as she began fiddling with the settings. "Hunk, give me a run down of what's firing at us."

Hunk hummed. "From my scans, there are no life forms. We're on the edge of space pirate territory, so most likely, it's an automated protection system. It's set to send out distress signals when anything gets too close, then they shoot down the people coming to help."

"Easy haul for them," Keith muttered.

"Exactly," Hunk affirmed.

Katie tapped another control knob. "Any other capabilities you've picked up on? What are they using to find us?"

"Appears to be just movement detection. Standard operating system— set for big objects like us."

"Perfect," Katie said. Finally, for the first time in a minute, she looked up at James. He was vaguely aware that she cut off the comms to the others.

"I'm going out there," she told him as she stood. "If Hunk's right, the system won't pick me up."

James was pretty sure his heart stopped. "W-What? Katie, you can't be serious!"

She didn't respond, instead choosing to walk past him out of the cabin.

He trailed after her. "Katie, what…what are you thinking?" he stammered. She was headed toward the back hatch, and he knew it. She still wouldn't respond. His panic growing, he reached for her hand, "Katie, you just— stop!"

Golden eyes whipped around to meet his. For a moment, she looked angry. But then, it faded into pleading. "James, you know I'm the only one who can do this. I haven't updated the other suits yet—"

"I don't care!" he cried. "Please, we'll think of something else. You can't go out in all of that, it's too dangerous!"

Her eyes softened. One of her armored hands came up to rest on his cheek. "James, I have to do this. The cloaking will keep me safe. They won't see me coming, and I'll disable it from the inside. You need to be here when I come back, okay? The cloaking will only last for fifteen minutes before you— _mph!_ "

He felt like everything in him was collapsing inward. The ring in his pocket felt like a brick as he crushed his lips against hers, begging her with all he had to stay. But even with that, he knew he couldn't change her mind. No one could. She was Katie Holt for a reason. And he knew it was one of the many reasons he wanted to marry her.

Then, he felt it— the sensation he'd had the joy of receiving a select few times before during moments like these. A rush of quintessence was surging through where her fingers clutched his armor, so much that he felt his heart breaking at the strength of her love. Of _course_ she knew the danger of the situation, she was telling him. Of _course_ she knew the risk. And of course she didn't want to take it, not when she loved him so much, but they both knew she would. It was who she was.

The two broke apart gasping, and James could see the pain in her eyes. She released her grip on him slowly, backing away toward the hatch.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'll be back before you know it, okay?"

He cursed his voice when it barely rasped out, "Okay."

Katie nodded. Her expression schooled into one of determination, and she hit the button for her helmet to form around her head.

Her eyes were on his when she said, "Do it, Green."

His heart pounded as a wall came out from a panel. It slid between them, then sealed itself tight. James' hands came to the glass.

"I love you," he whispered.

Even through his teary vision, he watched her mouth the words "I love you, too." Then, with a final button push, she vanished before his very eyes.

The hatch opened. She was sucked out into the battlefield.

It took everything in his power to not just stand there and wait. But he had a job to do. He had to be ready in case something went wrong. Or everything.

James made his way back up to the main cabin and sat down in the pilot's chair. He took the controls, then turned the comms on.

"Katie is on her way to the system now," he reported as stoically as he could.

Hunk's worried face popped up on the monitor. "Is she gonna be okay?"

James forced himself to nod. "She has her cloaking turned on. You guys need to keep the line of fire away from her, just in case we were wrong about the size threshold of detection."

"What do you think we've been doing?" Lance grumbled. "We're not getting shot around for fun or somethi—!"

"I've got her signal," Keith cut off his right hand man. "She's almost made it to the barrier. Pidge, can you hear me?"

"I can hear you," she confirmed. James' hand clenched his side pouch. "About two minutes out— I can see the control base. It's small, no heat signatures. Either drones or nobody at all, so should be easy to take down."

"Got it," Keith replied. "Lions, spread out to each corner. Keep the fight on us. James, stay in place to get her back."

"Copy."

The wait was agonizing. James honestly didn't know how he didn't lose his cool, other than the fact that he felt Green's soothing presence seeping through his fingers as they tapped on the arm rest.

"Almost there, guys."

James didn't trust himself to respond. His throat felt like it was so tight.

"Keep going, Pidge."

"Yeah, we can't hold out much longer up here!"

"…uhh, guys? Why'd they stop firing?" Hunk questioned.

James' heart rate shot up. The battle had gone quiet.

"Pidge? You okay?"

Silence.

"Is her comm off?"

"Pidge, come in!"

"Why isn't she responding?"

Something was wrong. His stomach was dropping by the second, and he closed his eyes. "Green? Talk to me, Green, what's going on?"

He felt himself being taken in deep.

 _When he landed in the grassy field, a bright white wall was in front of his face. It towered as high as Green, electricity threatening to spill over the top._

 _James wasted no time. He ran up to it and banging his fists against it. "Green! Tell me what's happening!"_

 ** _"My Paladin's James, I cannot let you—"_**

 _"Yes you can!" he yelled. "Tell me what happened to her! Now!"_

 _The wall came crashing down._

 _James was flooded with pain, the kind you could never describe and never wanted to experience. His head was pounding, his veins felt like they were on fire, and his heart was searing._

 _"Green," he panted out, groaning, "What—"_

 ** _"She was shot in the chest with electricity, my Paladin's James. She is in cardiac arrest."_**

James gasped as he was thrown back into reality. He didn't even realize he was running to the hatch.

"Griffin! Griffin, what happened? Do you know something?"

"What's going on?"

"Hey— what are you doing?!"

He jumped out into space without a second thought. His helmet's monitor had already traced her, and he pushed his jetpack to go as fast as possible.

"JAMES!"

"I have to get her!" he snapped back.

"You're going right into the line of fire!" Keith pointed out.

James only grit his teeth. "Then draw it away again!"

He didn't bother listening as Keith started doling out commands. He could see her, just barely, floating near the edge of the control base. She was like an angel of white and green, weightless in the sea of inky black.

As he got closer, he nearly choked when he saw the sparks flying out from her suit. It had been a direct hit to her chest plate.

He had finally arrived, and as he gently cradled her little body against his, he found himself wanting to weep. He had never seen her so pale, so fragile, so lifeless before.

"I-I've got her," he informed the Paladins shakily.

"Good, now get out of there!" Keith shouted.

James nodded. He held her tight, then pushed his jetpack thrusters into overdrive. Thirty seconds into the flight back, James found himself swerving to avoid a hit.

"Commander, they're tracking you!" Allura warned.

"Heat signatures," Hunk mumbled. "Of course! That's how they found her!"

"Well they're gonna find them both if we don't get in the way," Lance said. "We gotta block those shots!"

James' grip on Katie tightened as he pushed onward. "Please, God, please let us get through this," he prayed. "I can't lose her, not now, not today."

"Company's coming!"

The MFE commander looked up just in time to see the red lion block a shot. The rest weren't far away, forming a shield for him to fly behind.

There was a weak cough over the line, and James looked down. Katie's eyes opened for half a second before they closed again.

"Hunk, start locating the closest hospital on a friendly planet," James ordered.

"On it."

Finally, after what felt like forever, James landed back in Green's hatch. The room sealed itself off, and James ripped off his helmet.

"Katie?" he asked, releasing her helmet. "Katie, come on, please say something!"

 ** _She cannot, my Paladin's James. She is too weak._**

James held back a curse. "Green—"

 ** _You must hurry. She is fading. I cannot sustain her forever._**

He picked her up and began running. He made it to the main cabin faster than he ever had before, pulling out the emergency cot and strapping her down onto it.

"Do you have her?" Keith asked.

"Yes," James replied. "Hunk, I need coordinates—"

"Sending them to you now."

James practically threw himself into the pilot's chair. He punched in the coordinates, and then, on instinct, he took the controls.

No one ever knew that his eyes flashed with crackling green light. No one was there to see it. All James knew was that his body filled with an energy he'd never experienced before. It was matchless, uncontainable, and before he knew what he was doing, he'd punched Green into hyperdrive.

* * *

James Griffin couldn't stop pacing. They wouldn't let him in— something about a magic healing ceremony, but he didn't care. It'd taken Captain Shiro showing up from a different planet to finally rip James away from Katie's room.

Now, they all sat in the waiting room in silence. All except for James. One hand was going through his hair, and the other was in his pouch toying with the ring box. Regret like none other was welling up inside him. He should've asked her ages ago. What if it was too late?

"James."

Brown eyes rose to meet grey.

"She's going to be okay," Captain Shiro said calmly. "Pidge is the strongest person I know. She's gotten through worse."

James swallowed hard. He nodded, even though he didn't know why. Maybe more as a comfort to them than himself.

His eyes scanned the room. All of them looked just as worried as he did. Lance looked practically sick, and Allura's foot was tapping incessantly. Hunk's face was hidden behind his hands. Keith was the only one who stared back.

His violet eyes flickered down to the pouch, and James stiffened. Keith looked back up at him. James would never know how, but he knew that Keith knew. The black Paladin gave him an approving nod.

James suddenly felt like he was going to collapse. For whatever reason, he felt like he couldn't take any more of this, and he knew his pacing wasn't helping. He began to head toward a chair.

The sound of a door opening made him whip around.

A pale blue alien in a yellow lab coat stepped out. "Paladins, the Green Paladin has recovered," it said. "She may be seen."

James started toward the door without hesitation. But then, his head turned back around to see if anyone else was coming.

Captain Shiro gave him an easy smile. "You first. We'll come after."

The MFE commander nodded and made to leave.

"And make sure you do it right."

Keith's voice had a stern note to it. James nodded once more, then walked through the door, listening as the Paladins behind him asked Keith what he'd meant.

Every step to Katie's hospital room made James' eyes grow more glassy. He half thought that he should be able to get himself together better, but he didn't have the strength to care.

The alien stopped in front of a pastel purple door. It gestured for him to go inside.

His hand was shaking as it grasped the handle.

Exhausted honey eyes fell on him immediately. She gave him a weak smile. "Hey."

The dam burst. Tears streamed down his face, and James found himself clutching onto her in a matter of seconds.

"Shhh, sweetheart," she soothed. "It's okay— I'm here…I'm here."

His entire body shuddered in her hold. He let out another sob when he felt sweet lips press into his forehead.

"I'm here, James," Katie whispered. "I'm so sorry, I—"

"Don't," he pleaded. He lifted his head from her shoulder to press a desperate kiss to her lips. "Don't apologize, please, I just…oh, Katie, I thought I lost you."

She grinned tearfully. "Don't tell me what to do."

James couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips. Then his lips met hers, again, and again, and then one more time just to make sure.

Katie was giggling. "I missed you, too, silly."

He shook his head. Only she could make things feel somehow normal after all of this. James tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, then kissed her forehead. "I missed you more."

"Unfair," she claimed. "I was unconscious for a while. You had more time to miss me than I you."

More time… _time_.

James felt his heart rate pick up. He had thought their time was up. He had thought they were completely out of time. And there was no time like the present to make sure he didn't waste any more of it.

"Katie…could you, uh…are you comfortable standing?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Nope, doc said no standing yet, even though I'd love to."

The MFE commander swallowed. "Well, ah…how about sitting up? On the side of the bed? Can you do that?"

Katie's eyes were glowing. "Silly James, I know you just want a proper hug. You're such a cuddle bug," she teased. "Here— let me just…" she shifted a little, slowing making her way to sitting upright. She had to move some of the IVs, but soon, she was sitting on the edge of the bed with her legs hanging over the side.

His girlfriend held her arms out wide. "Come here!"

James managed a smile, albeit a nervous one. "Could you…close your eyes? Maybe?"

One of her brows raised. "So particular. Now I just know you want a kiss," she continued joking. Regardless, she agreed to his request.

James Charles Griffin didn't know if he was breathing. All he knew was that he almost fumbled the ring box as he got it out of his pouch. Katie's nose scrunched up at the unfamiliar noise, but her eyes stayed closed.

Then, slowly, he got down on one knee.

"You can open your eyes now," he whispered.

She grinned brightly, honey eyes flashing open—

He opened the ring box for her.

Her mouth dropped instantly. One of her hands was coming up to her mouth, and the other was frozen in the air reaching out toward him.

James prayed that those were good signs.

"Katie," he started. "Ever since I saw you, I'd hoped that…I don't know, that there would be something. And there has been this something for a while now, and I was hoping to make it a different something, so…Katherine Daisy Holt, will you marry me?"

Her shoulders were shaking. There was a sniff, and suddenly, he realized that she was crying.

James blinked. "Katie? Are you—"

She nodded her head. Once. Twice. Then finally, she choked out, "Of course I will, James."

He hadn't known how terrified he was until the sensation of overwhelming relief swept through him. Though, he would admit that his hands were still shaking as he gently took the ring from the box, grasped her left hand, and slid it onto her finger.

Katie let out a sudden laugh. Before he knew it, she had grabbed his face.

Her lips were trembling as they pressed against his, and James couldn't help the tears that were filling his own eyes. He'd really thought that'd been it, but now… _now_ …wow, they had so much more ahead of them.

Their kiss broke off quickly as Katie blubbered, "That was so dumb, that line about being a different something."

James chuckled. Nothing could wipe the smile off his face at that moment. "I was scared, okay? I didn't know if you'd say yes!"

She just shook her head and pulled him in for another kiss. They both sighed happily, allowing themselves this moment, before she pulled back again.

"You're an idiot if you actually thought I would say no to you," she told him.

"But you just said yes to this idiot," he teased. "So what does that make you?"

Katie's eyes turned soft. "Very very lucky."

James felt his heart melting. He was just about to lean in for another kiss when there was a knock at the door. The newly engaged couple turned to see the doctor.

"The other Paladins are anxiously waiting to see you," the little alien informed them. "Are you well enough for more visitors, Green Paladin?"

Katie nodded. A moment later, Captain Shiro and the rest of the Paladins entered. It only took a moment before Keith's eyes searched, found what they were looking for, then gleamed satisfactorily.

"Good, you finally did it."

Allura tossed their leader a confused look. "Did what?"

James glanced at Katie. She responded by simply holding up her hand.

The room exploded into chaos.

"I figured it'd be sooner, honestly—"

"We have to start planning the wedding now! What's your favorite cake flavor, Griffin?"

"Wait, what does this jewel mean?"

"You still aren't allowed to sleep in her room, yet!"

James and Katie rolled their eyes in tandem, because honestly, even though Lance had gotten somewhat better since the incident, the man would probably keep doing this for all of eternity. His protective streak simply refused to fade.

The conversation hadn't ceased, and if anything was only growing in volume. Finally, Katie raised a dismissive hand and waved it at them.

"Yes, we're getting married. Now if you'll excuse me, everyone turn around— I wanna kiss my fiancé again."

Lance made a gagging noise, but everyone obeyed. James chuckled just before she pulled him in.

As expected, barely a few seconds passed before someone cleared their throat.

"Are you two done?" Lance inquired.

Katie broke the kiss and huffed. "Just leave!"

The Paladins filed out as commanded, each giving a final congratulations on their way out. Captain Shiro even stopped to shake James' hand, something that the Captain probably knew held great significance for him. He wanted their approval more than anything, and it seemed that if Shiro lead, everyone else followed.

James shut the door behind the Paladins, then made his way back over to Katie's bedside. He knelt down to be on her level again. She was staring at the ring on her finger, almost in a daze. It took her a moment to realize that he was there, and when their eyes met, childish grins appeared on their faces.

"So," James said.

A mischievous twinkle lit her eyes. "So," she agreed.

They dissolved into a fit of laughter, only stopping when Katie leaned back tiredly against her bed a minute later. James got to work shifting her back around to lying down. She tossed him a grateful look, and that was when he noticed some of her former weariness was setting back in again.

James settled himself down at her side. He took one hand with his own, then leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You need to rest, honey. I'm sure all the excitement hasn't been good for you."

"Whose fault is that?" she quipped back, though her voice lacked its usual energy.

He smiled softly, "My bad."

"It's okay," she shrugged. Her eyes fell to the ring once more, then flicked back to him. She gave a little wink. "You had a good reason."

He nodded silently. He wasn't sure if he'd still fully comprehended what had happened that day. He'd gotten up the nerve to propose, she'd nearly died, and now they were here, still in the hospital on an alien planet, but engaged. It was almost too much to process all at once.

As always, Katie read his thoughts. One delicate hand reached up to touch his face. He was far too aware of the IVs that followed the movement.

"I'm still sorry," she whispered. "I thought I was doing the right thing and…I didn't mean to hurt you through that."

Tears were returning to his eyes. He swallowed hard. "Remember that time when—"

"You got shot on the mission?" she finished for him. James could only nod. Her eyes flashed with pain. "I know. I still think about it. And I know it'll be the same for you with this."

He nodded again, this time, his lip trembling. Katie tugged on his neck. He gave in and let himself be held by her once more.

Tears dripped down onto her hospital gown as he shuddered, "Don't ever pull a stunt like that ever again. I was scared I'd never hear your name as Katie Griffin."

One of her hands rubbed his back. "Hmm…I was thinking more along the lines of Katie Griffin-Holt?"

He pulled back to see sparkling honey eyes and a bright smile. For the thousandth time, James found himself kissing her forehead gently. He stayed there for a moment, his hands running down her arms, and his heart breaking a little as he felt all the tubes attached to her.

"Whatever you want, honey," he murmured against her skin. "Whatever you want."

Katie hummed, and he leaned back to take in her expression. "A spring wedding?" she suggested.

One of his eyebrows quirked. "That doesn't leave a lot of time to plan," he observed.

Katie gave him a meaningful look. "I'm tired of waiting," she said simply.

James understood what she was saying immediately. True to their word, the two had stayed away from the boundaries they had set from the beginning. It had always been difficult, but especially as of late, he found himself yearning for her. Even now, lying in a hospital bed looking the worst he'd ever seen her, he'd still make her truly his in a heartbeat.

Her hands cupped his face, honey eyes burning into his. "I _want_ you," she whispered.

An all too familiar wave of desire hit him. He didn't hesitate in pressing his lips to hers, kissing her deeply. Both of them let out moans before they could stop them, and suddenly, he came to the similar conclusion that they could easily plan a wedding in just a few months.

James tore himself away from her. Her grip on his armor had been getting looser, not to mention the fact that her heart monitor had slowed. Katie fell back against her pillow, already halfway asleep.

His eyes softened. He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "We'll start planning as soon as we get back," he promised.

"Mm, yeah, sounds good," Katie muttered.

"Sir?"

James turned to find an alien at the door, this one in a green lab coat. "We need to do a few more tests to ensure the healing ritual is complete," it said.

He understood. He nodded, but when he looked back at Katie, couldn't help but feel reluctant to leave. After all that had happened, leaving her side even just temporarily sounded awful.

Sleepy eyes opened to give him a stern look. "James, go. I'll be fine…besides," she raised her left hand at him to show the ring, "I have a pretty compelling reason to pull through."

James couldn't stop the sad smile on his face if he tried. He took her lifted hand and pressed a kiss to it. "I'll see you in a bit."

She smiled back. "See you soon."

He got up and made his way toward the door. He reached for the handle, but then, looked back one final time. "I love you, Katie."

His now fiancée was rolling her eyes fondly. "I love you, too, dork."

The MFE commander snickered as he left. The nurse went in immediately after, and he suddenly found himself standing in the middle of the hospital hall in a daze. That…that hadn't actually happened, right? All of this? No, this was far too strange of a day to have happened. That much couldn't have taken place within twenty-four hours.

But he looked back in the room, and there she was, staring down at her ring again as the alien took a blood sample. James watched with delight as a grin slowly grew on Katie's face. She lifted her hand, moving it side to side and admiring how the diamond glittered in the lights.

Far above cloud nine, James was able to finally make the trek back to the waiting room. The vision of Katie in a white dress flitted through his mind, and with that, James walked down the hall with a bounce in his step.

* * *

 **Stay tuned for the final epilogue! It's been an honor flying with you all.**


End file.
